Next Life Collection: Part 1: Shadows of a Hero
by Brenda.G.Potash
Summary: Eighteen years have passed since the final battle and Harry is still tormented by his demons, and his inability to forget may cost him his family. (11/17/12: I was asked by a very kind reviewer to mention this is an AU story if not I somehow "sound really stupid" I'm truly sorry I didn't live up to your expectations in my story summary) To everyone else, thanks your your reviews :)
1. Prologue: History of Chaos

**A/N: **The Next Life Collection, is a series of stories about the life of our favorite Harry Potter characters after the Final Battle. All the stories depict the same world, same characters, and each one adds new ones that you will enjoy reading about. Each story has their own style and plor but all together is about the same family; the Potter family. Thank you for reading, and thank you to J.K.R. for allowing her fans to use the world she created to write these stories of ours.

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**Prologue: A History of Chaos**

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The war had started years before, even before Harry Potter himself had been born. Yet he had become the one destined to end it once and for all. He would vanquish Voldemort, and only because he had chosen Harry as his equal. It would be Harry who would do the impossible to destroy him, to rid the world of his evil, to bring his parents justice. And by Killing Lily and James Potter in his quest to destroy baby Harry, Voldemort had made sure that the prophecy he thought he knew in full, would become true;

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"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. …_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …"_

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But had Voldemort's servant, then, not been discovered listening behind the door, as Dumbledore himself was witness to the prophecy. The Dark Lord would have won; for a prophecy is only as true, as those who make it so.

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"…_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not …_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. … _

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies. …"_

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Harry had lost his parents. Barely out of his first year, and he was hunted by a power hungry Wizard whose main objective in life was to kill Harry Potter so he could rule all. But he could easily have chosen another wizard boy, born only one day before Harry himself, and whose parent's had three times come face to face with Voldemort just as Harry's had. But it had been what ran through Harry's veins, that had made Voldemort choose him, mark him as his equal. It was his mother's muggle-born blood, just as the half-blood that ran through Tom Riddle himself from his own muggle father. And even though Voldemort no longer considering himself Tom, he still chose Harry as being the one that would inevitably bring him to his own demise.

And it was so, that the war that had started even before his birth, had spread all through Harry's school years at Hogwarts. It had gone beyond, destroying so much he loved, killing so many he cared for. Because of Voldemort, Harry had lost the only family he had left, Sirius, his godfather. Bellatrix Lestrange had killed Sirius, driven by insanity hatred towards Sirius her own cousin and a blind devotion towards Voldemort. Because of Voldemort, he had lost his mentor, Dumbledore, killed by someone Dumbledore himself trusted blindly, Severus Snape forced into killing the only man to ever care, or to believe Snape's words of repentment for his years of servitude to Voldemort. But Severus had made a promise to protect Harry, no matter who had to fall on the way, even if he had to die himself to make sure Harry made it to the battle field to face Voldemort.

And it had been all this that had driven Harry into years of war with Voldemort and his Death Eater Army. Almost two years of complete chaos, as Harry and his friends searched the world for the pieces of Voldemort soul, his horcruxes. Ron, Hermione, and eventually Ginny; searched the continents, as the war back home ragged out of control., as both Death Eaters and Phoenixes held their end strongly waiting for Harry's eminent return.

Eventually, not too long before the final battle Harry and the others returned home to England. Having achieved their goal; finding and destroying the last of the missing six horcruxes, only the final and seventh piece of soul remained within Voldemort himself.

The Order of the Phoenix, which had evolved into an army of thousands, waited for their commander, while holding down the home front in his absence. The day of Harry's return, they all knew, that the war would end soon, and that they would fight, whether it was to live or die, England would live to see better days.

And this decades long war's end started the day Dumbledore's protection over Harry was lifted; the day he turned seventeen, the day his mother's love could no longer protect him against Voldemort. The same day Harry, Ron and Hermione left for their two year journey. Ending the day that Harry, closely followed by his closet, most loyal friends and the thousand's of Witches and Wizards of the Phoenix Army that followed, stood on one side of the battle field facing the enemy, in their black hoods and ghostly masks, a sense of violence in the very air.

"Breath" Harry told himself, as he readied himself to charge. All around him men and women stood quiet, their hearts pounding hard in their chests with anticipation. Then, without a word; he started to walk, and all around him the sound of hundreds upon hundreds of feet started their walk. The Phoenix Army entered the battlefield; wands blazing, nerves steady and hearts ready.

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_**END PROLOGUE**_


	2. Chapter 1: A Shadow and a Nightmare

**A/N: **Thank you for reading. I would just like to Thank J.K.R. For allowing her fans to use her creation, to let us entertain ourselves with our stories.

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**Chapter One: A Shadow and a Nightmare**

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_Ron had tried to disarm__ Bellatrix Lestrange, but she had already sent the __killing curse towards Harry who was fighting his way to Voldemort, atop the hill. Unable to think of anything else to do, Ron jumped in the way of the Killing curse without any hesitation. Harry had turned to see the look of empty surprise in his best friend's eyes as he fell forward, that second slowed down to become heartbreakingly long, a lifetime passed before Harry's eyes before Ron hit the ground. And then in that one second he was gone, Ron was dead. Harry knew it the second he had heard Ron scream his name, and then the green light; Ron had sacrificed himself to save him, so he, Harry; could save the world. Ron was the Hero, not Harry. It was only then that years of anger frustration, and everything that had bottled up inside of Harry came out, everything burst out of him in a scream that seemed to have halted time in it self, the loss of someone so close to him, his best mate, his brother.  
_

_Harry had spoken no spell, and yet the ray of eerie white light, that seemed to even glow in his eyes; had exploded from his wand hitting Voldemort straight in the chest. Everyone had suddenly stopped and as a disturbing silence fell over the battle field, everyone gazed as Voldemort was Levitated into the air, a look of loss in his eyes, his skin falling in ashes, the pain apparent in his face, in his very broken being. This was his worst fear, death. Voldemort had been destroyed by the only thing he would never understand, the one thing Harry knew most about, love, but worse than that, a broken heart. _

_He fell to the ground, nothing but ashes between robes. Voldemort was finally gone for good, and the world would finally find some peace. But at a great cost to Harry. _

"_Wake up Ron, wake up" but he wouldn't he would never wake. Tears welled in his eyes, and he could hear Lestrange laughing, laughing with all the vigor she could muster; but she wasn't, she wasn't laughing, she was crying, crying in pain._

"_Avada Kedavra." He heard someone shout, that voice he could almost recognize it, who was it? _

_He looked up as the air was once again filled with the glowing green light; she wasn't screaming anymore, her eyes were empty. They had always been soulless, but now they held nothing, not even her usual overzealous demeanor, Lestrange was dead; And Harry had not been able to stop her, he should have taken care of her himself, tortured her until she begged him for death, but someone had taken that pleasure away from him. Who did it? Who killed her before he could punish her for what she had done._

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Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Lord. And after years of struggle; he was a HeroThe-Boy-who-livedThe Chosen one He had always hated being referred to as the "_Chosen one"_ and he didn't think of himself as a _"Hero"_ if he was; why had his best friend died that day? He couldn't understand it, why did everyone keep telling him it had not been his fault that Ron was dead; it had been, if he had just been paying more attention, just fought harder. But he hadn't and so started his penance, one he felt was fully deserved on his part; but with that came the nightmares, and with the nightmares came _his_ shadow at every turn, in every cornet of his now dark, pathetic world

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"Wake up Ron, wake up…!!"

He had woken up in a scream again; drenched in sweat, huddled in a corner, his arm up in the air pointing his wand at nothing. He focused on a dirty spot in the ceiling, and lowering his hand he caught his breath and started to cry. He never bothered holding it in; there was no one around to hide it from, just himself. But his first thought after his mind cleared from the nightmare was her, how long it had been since the last time he had seen her, the last time he had touched her, the last he had felt her soft body against his.

He thought he had stopped counting after all this time, "two years" he muttered "no, almost two, might as well be twenty." He told himself, that's how long he had been gone, that's how long ago the war had ended. "You're still counting you git" he told himself half-laughing. He knew perfectly well how long it had been, almost twenty months exactly since the day he had walked out on the only family he'd ever know, the Weasley's. He'd left behind the only woman he had and ever would love, the only one to love him as much if not more than he did her. And he cried about it almost every night, like a coward, he felt like a coward, he thought _–might as well act like one.–_

But now he was sitting under the open window of a dingy motel room; the last cold of winter blowing in, making his damp overgrown hair wilder than usual. Drying the tears on his face; he had finally pushed himself into a shower, when he had been un-ceremoniously tossed out of a muggle bar early that morning. Being covered in mud wasn't doing much for his comfort, and after a couple of hours he had grudgingly forced himself into some form of personal hygiene. But he still hadn't bothered to shave, _'who cares'_, he thought as he scratched his face. Why bother now when he hadn't bothered in months. The hair on his face made him look much older than he was. He wasn't twenty-one yet, but the war had made him older in no time _-It had done the same to most-_ and he felt as old as he looked.

He reached for the bottle of whiskey on the floor in front of him; what he wouldn't give for a good bottle of firewhiskey that moment, wizard made, aged in a wooden barrel for centuries in some cellar. But he had decided against any contact with the wizarding world, he couldn't risk being found. And now looking at the bottle in his hand he saw it was empty. "Damn!!" he exclaimed, as he tossed the bottle aside and reached for another bottle under the table in front of him, empty too. "Where's the bloody..." he said as he pushed himself up, holding himself on the table, barely noon and he was drunk. He looked everywhere, bathroom, under the bed, under the chairs, table, closet, nothing, they were all empty. "Fuck!!" he screamed as he let himself fall on the bed, he didn't feel like going out again, and he was running out of money. From the little he had taken from his Gringotts' vault and exchanged for muggle money _-he had made sure to leave most of the money to his wife-_ he was now barely left with anything, maybe a bottle or two, but he wouldn't have enough left for food, and less to be able to pay for his room.

He turned his face on the moth eaten sheets and saw the image in front of him; he had broken the mirror a couple of nights before when he couldn't find his bottle of rum. The reflection now facing him was what he recognized, a broken man, jagged, full of hate, resentment and self pity, with nothing left but his thoughts, his self-loathing resentful thoughts, and a bottle in his hand, now an empty bottle.

The image had reflected a long dark haired man, with an overgrown beard and red eyes with too much sleep, but no real rest. That was definitely not Harry Potter; he was definitely not the man that had married his love, the same that had then left her without a word. He was no longer Harry Potter; the boy who lived, the chosen one a national hero, and anyone who saw him now would agree that this drunken waste of a man was no hero, and he was glad of that, he _"…never wanted to be a damn hero to begin with."_

And then there was Hedwig, at the moment she wasn't there. But she hadn't left him, not even after he had thrown an empty bottle at her some nights before. He was sure she wouldn't come back this time after she flew out the window, a hurt look in her eyes. He had then stumbled off to go drown his sorrows in a bottle. But then today she had appeared in the room. She was nibbling at his ear to wake him up, he had shushed her and her nibbling had been more forceful until he opened his eyes and sat up. She had brought him a small package

"I don't want that" he said to her rubbing his sleepy eyes, she hooted at him and pushed the small package towards him. "Go!" he screamed, but she had simply pecked his hand when he waved it at her, "fine I'll take it" he yelled taking the parcel and unwrapping it to reveal a sandwich. Hedwig had probably snatched it from an un-expecting muggle coming out of the sandwich shop a couple of blocks down, the store logo gave it away, but Harry didn't care. He bit into it exaggeratedly and chewed a large piece, which he painfully swallowed. "Happy?" he said with a full mouth when he had finished. She simply hooted and flew away through the window as he painfully swallowed the last large piece of bread and ham.

This had been an on going ritual for the last twenty months. She was obviously watching him, because when ever he didn't eat for more than one day, she would unexpectedly appear through the window bearing some food that Harry thought, had regretfully been snatched from someone. Sometimes she would bring him a wrinkled copy of the _Daily Prophet_; and that whole time, Harry had also tried to drive her away by screaming and throwing things at the only friend he had now. But no matter how much he raved at the poor bird, she wouldn't leave him. Of course all his efforts to get rid of her had only won him injury; there were scratches and deep half healed beak marks on his forearms and hands, borne from his fits toward the snowy owl; who even though loved her master, wasn't about to take his bad treatment towards her lying down.

So now Harry lay in bed, resigned to not having anything to drink, trying to think of nothing; But regretfully being unable to do so, he started remembering the day of Ron's funeral, It had been not too long before he had left the Wizarding world. Was it a Monday, maybe, he couldn't really remember. But he remembered the wind blew softly, he could feel it even now, blowing on his tear stricken face.

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_He thought the wind was mocking his pain, the warm summer breeze was too soothing, the sun was to bright and warm, and sadly Ron's ceremony had not been the only one taking place that day in "Phoenix Field" The cemetery built especially for those lost to the war. Phoenix Field was a large green valley that spread beyond the reach of sight along a hillside that was a sight to be seen. But for anyone who was there, no beauty could possibly be found on that day, not for the reason he was there. The tomb stones spread out in long lines across the grassy field, rows and rows of matching stones erected for the memory of those gone_

_The long marble wall that spread across the front end of the field giving way to the arch that made up the entrance, "PHOENIX" engraved at the top. Small sparkles could be seen lining the wall, and looking closer, the names of everyone who had passed do to this war and the first one, were engraved in golden glinting letters, upon reading out a name on the wall, a small moving photograph of the person would appear smiling along the middle of the wall ._

_This was a monument for every soul lost over the years. He found Charlie's name, which was followed by "M.I.A." missing in action. He had never returned after a mission to the continent, they had searched months for him, with no real results_

_Harry had stood in front of that wall for a while, searching the almost endless lists of names, most of which he had never met, and every time he read a name out , a little smiling face of an unknown witch or wizard would appear in front of him, making his heart sink deeper and deeper with regret. But then there were those he knew, those he loved; Ron, Charlie, Dumbledore, Sirius, George and then, his heart had leaped when he came upon the names of his parents, James and Lily Potter. He had had a hard time entering the cemetery after that, after seeing his parent's names there. Ginny, who had already walked in had come back out, she watched him for moment trying to not breakdown herself, and then held him by the hand to lead him in so they could say goodbye to Ron._

"_He became a man any father would be proud of" Mr. Weasley spoke to the gathered company "became a husband, I must admit me and his mother weren't too happy when we found out him and his sister Ginny, had ran off and gotten married to their sweethearts…" he smiled sadly hugging his wife who was next to him. "Their too young we said, not prepared, we insisted." Hermione, who was sitting in the front row as the widow cried softly. "But, like many times. More than me and Molly are willing to admit to, we were wrong." Arthur gave Hermione a half smiled and breathed in._

"_My boy grew-up, he married a lovely girl and … and… He was going to be a father" Arthur stopped almost holding his breath; he wiped a tear that had sneaked out. Fred who was standing close to his father, had gone and whispered something in his father's ear _

"_No, no. Its okay I can finish." Mr. Weasley whispered patting his son on the back taking a deep breath before continuing._

"_Like I was saying…" he continued "He asked how I did it, for him and all his brothers, and his sister. How I managed to be the perfect father, I told him… All you have to do is love them son, just love them and nothing else you do will ever matter…I was not a perfect father, not even close... I've made countless mistakes raising my children, but I…I..." he stuttered his eyes starting to water, not being able to contain himself, and his words slipping. "But I love them, I-I loved him more than he could possibly ever imagine…He wouldn't have been a perfect father, but he would have loved, like he loved his friends, his family, even the people he was fighting for… the… I" he stopped finally breaking down like he never had before, not to Harry's recollection of the nine years he had known the man before him. Maybe it was that finally that the war was over the horrible reality had hit him, he had lost three sons. Losing one would have been too much for him, or any other Weasley. But three, three young men with so much to give, it was too much, even for someone as strong as Arthur Weasley._

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Harry remembered that day bitterly, that had been the day he had decided to run, to leave everything and everyone behind, even his Ginny. And now he was lying on the bed of a filthy motel room, in dirty clothes, surrounded by empty bottles of every type of cheap alcohol he could have gotten his hands on. Harry Potter was lost; he couldn't find his way home, not that he cared to anymore. But once a certain point had been crossed, he had found it impossible to return, no matter how badly he wanted it.

"Hero" he said laughing to himself "what a Hero" he said again, he was eyeing a news paper article from a month old Daily Prophet. _**"Were can the Hero of England be?"**_ The title read.

"Everyone can just fuck off!!" he screamed tossing the paper off the bed. He would never return, never, he couldn't for her sake. He wouldn't do it for anyone not even himself. She was first; with him gone she would be happy one day, safe; she would find someone who didn't make her life miserable, like he was likely to have done; he who had let her brother, who would remind her constantly of that horrible day.

"Never" he told himself, as he turned around in bed putting his face against his pillow.

Sleep, he needed sleep, maybe his subconscious would have some pity on him and would give him a dreamless slumber. Maybe then he would wake up late and would go visit a muggle bar and start one of his whole self-hating days all over again.

He had started to fall into a sleep he desperately desired and needed, when a hoot and the swishing sound of wings woke him. "What now?" Harry grunted as he turned his head to face Hedwig's amber eyes staring back at him "I'm not hungry" he told her turning his head away again. But she insisted and with a hoot, she dropped something on his arm. "Come on let me sleep" he whined as he turned to see what she had brought him, a copy of the day's _Daily Prophet_. She hooted at him and nibbled at his fingers. "I told you to stop bringing that, and also to leave me, I don't need you" he bellowed as she pecked him "Ouch, what now?" he said in a scream. But she eyed the news paper, and pecked him again. "Fine" he said, sitting up in bed, and picking up the news paper. He unfolded it to see what was plastered in big bold letter on the front cover.

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_**MURDER IN ST.BRIAN!!**_

_By Desdie Day Kincade_

_March 23__rd__ 2001_

_Early this morning residents of the muggle village of St.Brian, saw what they described as a bright light in the sky. "Shaped like a skull and a snake." A local muggle told this reporter (All muggles were properly obliviated.) The Dark mark, which has not been seen since Harry Potter's victory over He-who-must-not-be-named; was found floating over the Hero's house; a resident Wizard to the village (who would not give his name) contacted the proper authorities, and Ministry _

_Aurors were immediately dispatched to the scene. __The Aurors could not but acknowledge that someone was found dead inside the Potter residence. But no details were given due to the 'seriousness of the situation.' _

_A source who was at the scene told this reporter that it seems 'revenge' was the motive for this "ghastly crime". Clues point to the same criminal who just two weeks ago murdered two muggles in Surrey -members of Harry Potter's family- the criminal was nowhere to be found when Ministry Aurors arrived. _

_And our Hero, Harry Potter, who has not been seen for almost two years (more on Harry Potter's disappearance can be read on page 5), was nowhere to be seen. _

_No more details were given, and the Minister of Magic, Theodore Lionsgate; refuses to speak on the subject. __(St. Brian, pg A10)_

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"Who was it?" he screamed jumping off his chair and turning it over "what the bloody hell!!" he roared turning the paper over and over in his hands, "how can they not say who it was?" he cried in anger.

It didn't say anything about who had been killed. "Oh God" he screamed dropping to his knees "Not Ginny, please not her" he cried his head buried in his hands, _who else could it be_, he thought crying, his brain trying to come up with another option, he simply broke inside himself. He couldn't move, his hands to his chest -which now thrash in his chest in pain- gripping the paper, his head twisted in pain bearing his lightning shape scar, he looked up for an answer, but not receiving any he simply broke; he fell to the floor in a state of total loss.

He laid on the floor, unable to think, to move, to anything. She was all he had, even if far away, the thought of her kept him alive, and now his only hope was gone. As he lay there -the only thoughts being about the end of his life- a knock was heard at the door; he didn't move, he couldn't talk to anyone, not now.

"Harry?" he heard a man's familiar voice "open up, Harry" no it wasn't him, thinking about Ginny made him think about the others too, "Come on open up."

"Fine then, have it your way" the voice called through the door.

A second of silence passes before the door blasted open and there stood Fred Weasley, his wand held in his hand. Fred looked down at the floor were he saw Harry curled up his knees to his chest, the _Daily Prophet_ still held tightly in his hand. His expression instantly changed to one of pity, he couldn't believe that was what was left of the man he once knew. He looked around the room, he saw it littered with liquor bottles, old food wrappings, and only a small ray of light which barely shun through the open window with the shades drawn.

"Harry?" Fred cautiously spoke as he walked closer and stood in front of the broken man.

"I guess you read it then?" he said kneeling in front of his friend. Harry didn't speak, he didn't know how Fred had found him, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore, how could he live now, with _her_ gone?

"It wasn't her mate, it wasn't Ginny" Fred chocked his voice breaking.

"Wha-W-What?" Harry spoke the words barely audible.

"Ginny's not dead, Harry. She's hurt, but the healers say she'll recuperate." Fred assured him

"But, the news paper? it said-"

Fred stared; Harry immediately saw something was wrong. Fred tried speaking but instead he put his hands to his face for a moment, then he looked up at Harry who had sat up, losing his grip around the _Daily Prophet_.

"Who was it?" Harry asked. "Who -?" he insisted when Fred didn't answer

"- it was Percy….. He was there with her when…" A tear fell down Fred's cheek "she injured the bastard…" Fred let out a whimper of a chuckle "…there was blood everywhere; they think he didn't have enough strength to perform the Killing curse on her after that. That's the only reason she's still…" he stopped his voice breaking unable to finish the sentence.

"Fred, I-I'm sorry, I…I mean your brother…" Harry said putting a hand to Fred's shoulder, still not believing himself that Ginny was alive, but sadly Percy was gone.

Another Weasley lost, his stomach churned at the thought. Percy and Harry had never been close; in fact Percy had been anything but a prat -for lack of a better word- during Harry's fifth and sixth year; when Percy had pushed away his whole family for supporting Harry because he believed the lies the Ministry -During that time headed by Cornelius Fudge- were saying about him and Dumbledore. He had had his mother crying, and his father breaking things for almost two years, but he had come around at the end of Harry's seventh year when Rufus Scrimgeour -the minister of magic at that time- had been murdered by Voldemort personally. Voldemort had taken full responsibility in a letter left on the deceased minister's body and of course the huge green skull above the minister's home was nothing if mocking. Not one witch, wizard or even creature was left alive in the Minister's mansion.

"Thanks" he uttered wiping his face, giving Harry a weak smile "but there's a reason I came for you, to take you to Ginny." Fred stood up and stretched a hand to Harry.

"I can't, Fred. If she's going to be fine, there's no real reason."

"Don't do this to her, Harry. This is the only chance were giving you to go back home"

"We?"

"Bill, me and… well- Percy; we've been sending Hedwig with _Daily Prophet_ articles and food, something to make you remember were you belong. Bill even dragged you off the street and into your bed once. But all that doesn't matter; if you don't go with me now I'm not coming back, you better forget about everyone one of us including Ginny. We won't look after you anymore and we'll make sure you don't get within a kilometer of our sister"

"I-ah, I…" Harry stuttered stumbling on his own words.

This whole time he thought he was alone, in hiding. _They _knew were he had been the whole time; they had been trying to help him, even when he left their sister. They had even dragged him off the street, were he had fallen drunk asleep. He though he remembered seeing Bill, Fred and Percy a couple of times, but he thought it was just due to the amount of alcohol in him at the time, and the fact that he missed his _family._

"So what is it then? Yes or no?" Fred stretched his hand to Harry once again "All you need to do is take my hand and the hardest part will be over"

Harry looked at Fred, tears in his eyes. All he needed to do was grab his _brother's_ hand, and he would see her, he would return home, hopefully no question's asked. But the simple act of taking Fred's hand was so much harder than when he had decided to leave.

"It's good to see you, Harry, even with the circumstances" Fred said as Harry took his hand pulling himself off the ground

"Yeah, I- it's good too" he said embracing Fred in a hug.

After Fred forced Harry to clean himself up properly, he told him that Bill, Percy and himself had searched for him and had found him just two months after his disappearance, he didn't go into details on how _-Harry guessed that his snowy friend had had a lot to do in the Weasley boys being able to locate him-_ They had all decided to not tell anyone, especially not Ginny. They had come to the conclusion that Harry would return when his heart had healed properly, when he was ready and that any sooner would just not due for their sister. Harry would not be whole; he would only break Ginny and would end up leaving again.

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He slowly walked into the hospital room, he thought his heart would stop when he saw her there; laying still, breathing steadily, her eyes closed. Fred had taken Harry to London to see Ginny in St. Mungo's. He walked into the room half expecting to see, he didn't know what he had expected to see. Mrs. Weasley who was sitting by his daughter's side, blotchy eyes _-apparent she had been crying for the loss of another child and almost losing her only daughter-_ Molly stood up when she saw Harry and walked to him. He was afraid she would slap him and yell, blaming him for her family's misfortunes; he thought that she would tell him to get out, to never come near her family again especially her daughter. If she did, she was in her right to do so. But Mrs. Weasley simply hugged Harry tightly and whimpered softly into his shoulder.

"Oh, Harry dear" she squeaked pulling back after a while and wiping a tear from Harry's face "We missed you so" she said looking at his tired face, he was staring beyond her at the bed were Ginny laid unconscious.

"She's fine, she'll be better when she sees you" Molly smiled giving him a kiss. "I'm so glad you came back, Harry, we all are, do know that we love you my boy, and we welcome you back. If you need to talk, you know I'll always be here for you." She winked at him, and giving him another small hug and a smile that seemed to not have made it through had he not been there, she walked out of the room tugging at Fred's arm, and taking him with her.

Harry walked up to Ginny, she was so beautiful, she looked so delicate so defenseless. How could he ever leave her? What had he been thinking? Himself of course, he would never again be so selfish.

"Never" he whispered to her, but for him _never_ had changed its meaning.

"I'll never leave you again, I'll always be here, no matter what, I promise you." He said sitting in the chair Mrs. Weasley had vacated. He sat there, contemplating her as he stroked her hair and wept in silence.

He would never do that to his family again, "Never…I'll never leave you, you'll never be unprotected again, never sad, never lonely, and I'll never stop loving you. And I'll put my life on that promise; do you hear that, Ginny? I mean it, I love you. So wake up soon, please.. I miss you, I miss you so much it hurts. Wake up, Ginny, wake up."

Ginny did not wake for another two days. But when she did, Harry had been right there smiling, promising he would never leave her again, that no one would ever hurt her, not while he was alive to do something about it, not while there was enough strength in him to do so.

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_**END CHAPTER ONE**_


	3. Chapter 2: Home of a not so Hero

**A/N: **Thank you for reading my story, and thank you again to J.K.R for creating the wonderful world of Harry Potter

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**Chapter Two: Home of a (Not so) Hero**

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Sixteen years had passed since the article; Harry still saved it as a reminder of why he could never leave again, what he would be losing if he did. And so Harry was still there keeping his promise to the woman he loved, he tried to forget the battle "Eighteen years" he told himself "let it go man" but he couldn't. He was sure no one who lived through it could. He was fine most of the time, never forgetting, but living through it. But then without warning, the nightmares would start and with the nightmare came _his_ shadow. And now he was screaming, screaming at the top of his lungs, he was begging Ron to wake up;

"Harry, Harry"_ she had that sweet voice that he loved so much, but it wasn't her voice, she was tricking him, that evil smile, that gaunt face. She was using his love's sweet voice to trick him. _"Wake up"_ she begged of him, but he couldn't, he wouldn't listen to her. She killed him, and he couldn't stop it. She had to die, he had to kill her, like she killed him, she had to pay for what he had lost... _

"Harry, wake up please, Harry." That sweet voice was calling to him, it echoed in his dreams.

Harry felt something push against his shoulder and opening his eyes in a blind panic, he was pointing his arm straight in front of him, pointing an invisible wand at an enemy that was not there. Soon he realized he was no longer in battle, he was in his bed, and as soon as his mind focused on reality, he lowered his arm panting. The room around him started to focus; he could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead and over his body. His heart pounding so fast that he could barely contain it in his chest. The hand that had pushed at his shoulder to wake him rested softly on his chest.

"Are you alright, darling?" she said as Harry reached and found his glasses, and turned to see the person next to him.

"Ginny?" Ginny smiled a bit nervous, every time he had had these nightmares, she had woken to her husband's panicked screams, screaming at Ron to wake up.

"Nightmare" he said putting a hand to his chest trying to slow down his heart beat, then grabbing her hand he kissed it,

"I thought you wouldn't have them anymore…. it's been months since you last had one"

"Don't worry love, I'm fine, it's a one time thing, stressful day at work yesterday" he sat up on his bed wiping the sweat of his brow. "I'm sorry I scared you"

She knew he was lying; he had had the nightmares every night this week already, every time he fell asleep, it would be a restless one. She just hoped that he wouldn't reverse to the way things were when the nightmares didn't stop for months.

"Don't be, if you need to…?" she said, but he immediately sat up and got off the bed, as if he hadn't heard a word she'd said "…later maybe" she finished not wanting to continue and push him away like it often happened.

He moved to the window and opened the curtains to look out; it was still very early, the sun could barely be seen sneaking up on the horizon over the hill side. It couldn't be more than six, he thought. He had barely slept three hours. He had thought maybe this would be the night he would finally sleep without the nightmare; it had been wishful thinking on his part. But the thought of having these nightmares for the next couple of months or more scared him.

The night before a muggle family had been killed just outside of Bristol, and the dark mark left floating over the house –the killings were 'most likely out of boredom' he had said to an Auror at the crime scene- and Harry who had just retire the year before as an Auror, now worked in the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Law Enforcement as an investigator and Auror trainer. But he spent every spare moment trying to find every last remaining Death Eater; like Lucius Malfoy, now a very deranged wizard who enjoyed this kind of killing sprees, which occurred too often.

* * *

_Lucius had become more unpredictable and crazed since Draco had joined Harry's side a couple of months before the final battle. Draco had witnessing the death of his mother by his father's own hands, in that instant Draco had rid himself of the blindfold he had worn for so long, he had purge himself of the delusion of grandeur his father had imprinted in him for so many years. And even though he had been lucky to survive the final Battle, his father's rage brought him do the unthinkable; Lucius had murdered Draco, his own son, just ten years earlier, screaming that his blood would not be stained by a traitor. After killing Draco, Lucius had fled his son's home, without noticing the rest of the household crouching by the bedside. He had left a whimpering, almost catatonic woman clutching the small figure of a four year old girl._

* * *

Harry had been following the lead on Faust Romano. He had been the one to attack Ginny and kill Percy, which made Harry keener to capture him. And now Romano had taken to killing the muggle families of famous witches and wizards. And it had been him who murdered his aunt and uncle a couple of weeks before killing Percy. The Dursleys had been his only living relatives, and Romano had only gone after them because they were Harry's relatives.

Harry had been sitting in a cubicle in the Ministry the night before, when the news of the murders came, the family of a well known Quidditch player named Brando Johansen. Upon receiving the news Harry who had been getting ready to go home had quickly rushed to the scene to find out that it had been in fact Romano who had killed the famous Chaser's family, _-Romano always left a piece of parchment with a lighting sketched into it, a sign of who he was leaving the bodies for_- Harry had always wondered what Romano had against him; maybe he had been a Death Eater. But still he had no clue as to why Romano was so interested in making Harry hurt; make him chase him down for the last sixteen years.

Harry had not been able to get home until one thirty in the morning, he had found Ginny sleeping in bed a book in her hands; she had obviously been waiting for him like she had done so many times before. By the time he had fallen asleep, he was sure it had to have been around three that morning.

"Why don't you come back to bed then? You barely slept"

"I'm fine" he lied looking back into her worried eyes and forcing a smile, thinking this might ease her concern for him. But it was no use, smile or no smile she could always tell, she could always see right through him. She usually changed the subject if he didn't want to talk right away. She would try later, but not now; she knew she would have to wait for him to calm his nerves so her words didn't fall on deaf ears.

"So I told my mum to come by around nine?" Ginny said getting up from bed herself putting on her robe

"That's nice, love. I have to get ready to go to the Ministry." he said walking towards the bathroom door.

"Harry, don't you remember what today is?" she asked now with a little more worried look in her eyes as he stopped to look at her, a puzzled look building in his face. _'What is she going on about?'_ he thought, _'the nightmare?'_ he thought, _'today's the day that Ron… why would she remind me about...' _Then it hit him, it was his son's birthday

"Ronnie's birthday" he said remembering his youngest had been born ten years after the war, on the anniversary of Ron's death. It had always been a hard day for him, trying to smile and not think about anything but his son; but always wanting to block out that day, made him block out his son's special day as well. If Ginny hadn't reminded him to pick up the gift the weekend before, he would have shown up empty-handed, and would have had to add to his worries, the look of disappointment and sadness in his little boy's face

"So you do remember?"

"Of course" he answered turning to looking at his wife.

"You can't possibly go in today and miss Ronnie's birthday; it's important to him to all of us, you must be here." He knew he had to.

He preferred being at work on days like these, days when he would wake up from the nightmare; he knew the shadow would soon start to appear in every corner. And being at work kept him away from his demons, from old habits. He would go to work were he would think about nothing but work, like he had done for the whole week. If he was lucky enough, he would maybe capture a Death Eater just to justify the loss, even if for a minute.

But if he _did_ go to work and missed his son's birthday, the guilt, and unhappiness in any of his children's eyes would be intolerable. He had promised his son he would be here; he had promised all his children in fact that he wouldn't miss anymore birthdays or Christmases or family reunions or any important days. And what kind of a father would he be if he started missing everything again, if he started being weak again and started falling into his own nightmares, like last time. He shook his head and breathed in deeply.

_Last time_, he hoped he would never get like he did last time; when the _shadow_ followed him for almost a year. Ronnie had only been a baby at the time, when the nightmares started coming again every night, and _his_ shadow had appeared in the corner again. And that had been too dark an episode of his life, for him, Ginny and the kids. He would never let himself get to that point again for their sake, more than for his. Work had kept him away from his demons every time the nightmares returned, every time he saw the shadow again.

Harry would never forgive himself for last time; he would never let himself forget of what he had done to his family. He would never forget were his own weaknesses had driven him.

* * *

_Harry had come home drunk again, and like every other time he had gotten in an argument with Ginny about his drinking. He had managed to stop for a month but had started out again just a week before. _

"…_Your killing yourself, Harry!!" she had screamed at him, he had returned home just wanting to go to sleep, to have some peace and quiet, but she was screaming, making his head hurt, making everything blur, making the shadow laugh, mock him from the corner where it watched._

"_Look at me, look at me, Harry!!" she screamed grabbing him by the arm, and pulling him around, as he tried to climb the first steps. "Look at me God Damit" she demanded as he stumbled back in the spot_

_He had had enough of this, of her screaming, her demanding, of everything. She would never understand him; he had enough of this, of everything. And then before he knew it, he had done something he had never thought himself capable of doing. Without a thought registering in his brain he had hit Ginny across the face. In the second it took him to realize what he'd done, Ginny had taken out her wand and hexed him. The last thing he saw was the tears of disappointment in her eyes, the pain, and then nothing._

_He had woken up a while later and when he remembered what had happened, what he had done, it was too late, she was gone and so were the children. _

"_Oh God, what did I do!!" he screamed as he trashed through the house looking for them, room by room. "What did I do, what did I do!!" He screamed sobbing, "you idiot, you hurt her" He screamed hitting himself with the back of his hands, breaking his glasses and knocking them off. Turning in panic around the living room, he saw his distorted image in the mirror; it was the demon inside of him, the monster that hit Ginny. "You hurt her!!" he screamed throwing a vase at the mirror, and as it shattered a piece of glass caught him in the face. "You hurt her" he sobbed into his hands, the blood dripping out of the fresh cut, he fell onto his knees on the floor "why did you hurt her?"_

_He had promised to protect her, he had promise her she would never hurt again. And it had been his own hands that had caused her the pain. There was no point; he had lost his family, his three beautiful children and his love. He had nothing left now, nothing but himself and the demon in him. Then there was that shadow that plagued him. _

"_Nothing" he whispered, getting up with the small ounce of strength he had left "Nothing" he said again reaching for his broken glasses, "nothing" He said as he walked out of the door blood trickling down the side of his face. Tears in his eyes, and all hope lost._

_Before he knew it, he was sitting at the bar again, a glass of firewhiskey in front of him. He had not dared to drink it; he had been staring at it for an hour. And when the barkeep had asked him if everything was alright, he had started crying saying "nothing" over and over again. _

"_I can't, no… no, I won't" he said to himself pushing the glass away from him. "Never again" he would never let himself fall so far down, he would never become that monster again, he would get his family back and he would work hard to make sure he never got to this point again. _

_He was about to pay and leave when that voice spoke, a voice that for some many years brought him comfort and friendship, now that same voice tormented him, making him an animal, a monster that would hit his wife._

"_Harry" mocked the voice of Harry's tormentor. "Come on, Harry, take a drink."_

_Harry didn't look, he didn't dare to look. He knew if he saw him, if he saw the face of his friend; he wouldn't be able to stop himself. It was his fault after all. _

"_What's wrong, Harry, cat's got you're tongue? Come on, LOOK AT ME!!" The shadow called, this time more demanding._

"_Stop it" Harry whispered under his breath gritting his teeth._

"_Come on, Har…one sip" _

_Harry didn't answer; he just closed his eyes, and covered his ears and repeated over and over again under his breath "I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm strong…"_

"_Strong? Ha." The shadow laughed. "Come one, you know you want it." _

_Harry simply shook his head and repeated his rant._

"_Are you ignoring me?" Harry pushed his hands tighter over his ears. "After everything, everything I did for you…" the shadow was growing louder, Harry still muttering under his breath "…and now, you even hurt her. ARE YOU GOING TO KILL HER HARRY? ARE YOU GOING TO GO HOME AND BEAT HER AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL SHE CAN'T MOVE ANYMORE…?" the shadow was now shouting at Harry "… IS SHE GOING TO SUFFER LIKE ME, SUFFER BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T PROTECT HER LIKE YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD? like you promised me you would, uh? Tell me why did you let me die Harry? And now, NOW I'M ALL ALONE, AND IT'S YOUR FAULT…now I'm alone and you won't even toast with me, toast to me, toast to life, TOAST HARRY!!"_

"_YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!!" Harry screamed turning around to finally look at the shadow sitting in the far corner of the bar, the shadow of his best friend Ron. "THERE'S NO POINT, JUST STOP IT!!" he continued to yell. By this time everyone had turned around to look at the crazy man who was shouting at no one. The barkeep was holding his wand tightly under the bar in case Harry got violent; the yelling was usually the signal for the barkeep to tell everyone to vacate the bar._

_This had not been the first time Harry had had one of his outburst in this particular bar, the barkeep was used to it. And Ginny had managed to keep these "events" under the public radar by paying off a couple of people. This wouldn't be any different; the barkeep would empty out the bar when he saw signs of an outburst, then he would contact someone to come take Harry home; usually a Weasley, "that rich bloke that runs the Joke shops and the anti terrorism corporation" or "that man Named Lupin", or sometimes it was "that man Longbottom", who the barkeep had seen in the news paper, "some kind of famous scientist of some sort." But it was what happened after that the barkeep had enjoyed the most, for so long. After Mr. Potter was taken home Mrs. Potter would then come to pay for the barkeep's silence. Although he enjoyed the money, after a while, the man had felt bad about taking the poor woman's money; it had been years since he had accepted any gold from her._

"_That a boy Harry, why don't we toast then" The shadow said with an evil grin. "Pick up your glass, toast to my death, Harry, toast to you not protecting me, toast to you hitting her, toast to the monster your becoming, toast to becoming like him._

_Harry was crying, and now he was reaching for the glass of firewhiskey in front of him._

"_That's it, drink it." _

"_No, please" Harry whispered_

"_Drink it, Harry"_

"_Why are you doing this?"_

"_Because you owe me"_

"_I'm sorry" he said, finally giving into the shadow_

_He closed his eyes and tightened his grip around the glass, the tears falling. He was raising it to his mouth "Cheers Ron" he said in a whisper as the glass reached his lips._

"_Harry!!" It was her; it was not Ron's shadow. _

_He opened his eyes to see Ginny standing a couple of feet away next to the fireplace, she was walking towards him, she was standing in front of him, she was lowering the drink from his mouth and onto the bar. _

"_Harry?" she said touching his face, the cut on his brow coming down the side of his face had dried out. "Harry… look at you" she said, tentatively touching the cut on his face, at which Harry winced slightly, just then realizing he was hurt, he laughed slightly. "What are you doing?" she said looking back into his green eyes._

"_Making a toast to him" he said, looking back at the corner, where the shadow had been. "He insisted, Ginny, I didn't want to…" he said looking back at her quickly, explaining himself like a child would._

_Ginny looked to see the empty table he was pointing at in the corner, she sighed; she knew he wasn't in his right mind. Just like he hadn't been in his right mind when he hit her, when he had spoken to her the way he had. That's why she had stepped through the fireplace, when she got the note through the floo from the Barkeep, that's why she knew, no matter how unforgivable it had been, it hadn't been him, it hadn't been her Harry. Harry would have never done that; he would have died before hurting her. _

"_You believe me, Ginny, don't you?" he said, almost whimpering this time. _

"_Of course I do. Let's go home, darling" Ginny whispered to him, finally pulling the drink out of his hands._

_Harry looked at her brown eyes, the red mark on her face were he had hit her. He dropped his head on her chest and started to weep, as she held him tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." He continued to sob into Ginny._

"_I know, love" she said as she shushed him. Then she pulled herself away from him and looked into those sad green eyes. _

"_Help me, Ginny…" he said "don't leave me." _

"_I wont, love, let's go now" He nodded, and Ginny grabbed him by the hand and led him to the fireplace. _

_That had been the last time Harry had ever drunk a drop of liquor, he would never again allow himself to become that monster._

* * *

"_So?_" Ginny spoke up breaking him from his thoughts.He looked into his wife's brown eyes and with an overdue smile, but a smile none the less he nodded in agreement

"Of course" he answered giving her a small kiss.

"Thank you"

Ginny walked pass him into the bathroom.

"Never" he whispered to himself "never." Re repeated

Ginny opened the bathroom door "Are you coming?" she said with a mischievous smile, he grinned widely and followed her into the bathroom.

* * *

_**END CHAPTER TWO**_


	4. Chapter 3: A Family

**A/N: **Thank you fore reading, and kudos, no more than kudos, BRAVO to J.K.R. for creating Harry Potter and everything that surrounds him.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: A FAMILY**

* * *

Ron was the youngest of the three Potter children, and was about to turn nine; which he decided was as important as Christmas, or a wedding _"…or what ever really important occasion there is..."_ He would finally be getting his very own racing broom and would now be able to fly like his brother and sister, James and Amy the fifteen year old twins, who had just returned home from their fourth year at Hogwarts.

Ronnie had the trademark Weasley hair, although very untamed like his father's. His eyes were emerald green behind round glasses; which people often said was a redheaded version of Harry himself at that age. James had inherited his father's jet-black hair, to his mother's delight it was not the traditional "_crazy, wild, untamable, Potter Hair_" James also had his mother's brown eyes. Amy had the jet black hair and the green eyes, but not the untamable _'Potter Hair'_, which she thanked God every time she passed a brush through it successfully, her dark hair fell down smooth half way down her back like her mother's.

All three children, to the dislike of their mother- had inherited Harry's ability to speak Parselmouth. Everyone knew that the Potters were good people; but it was still a little unsettling to hear them speak in Parseltongue -a symbol of being a dark wizard in the magical world, Ginny had prohibited her children from using it in school or home or anywhere by that matter, unless _"the unlikely event ever comes up in which someone is being attacked by a snake."_ Amy had in fact stopped a snake, which had slithered out of the forbidden forest from attacking a fifth year Ravenclaw boy this past term. No one knew it, but Henry Grayyfrost and Amy were now dating.

* * *

After sending an owl to the ministry half an hour later, Harry sat in his study, a circular room to the front of his house, which extended from one floor to the next. It was full from top to bottom in rows and rows of books collected over the years. The more dangerous books, which his children were not allowed to touch until they became of age and finished school, were in the second landing of the library in a small room behind magically locked glass door.

Amy would often spend long periods of time in the library with her father and on her own, reading, and doing research, never interrupting her father's work, sometimes the occasional game of wizard's chess when Harry was finished with his paper work. His mother would encourage Amy to go outside with her brothers, which she unwillingly, but politely obliged to. Harry never saw any harm in his daughter wanting to learn more, sometimes she reminded him of Hermione, although he did agree that she needed to be outside getting some air and would often agree with his wife, when she sent Amy outside.

Harry gazed absent-mindedly out the window that went from floor to ceiling -an exaggerated in his mind- but it did provide an extraordinary view of the lake, the trees and the mountains. The _'Potter Manor'_ as some liked to call it -Harry didn't like that name, the house wasn't that big to begin with- was at the top of a hill at the edge of the forest, a lake between the house and the muggle village of St. Brian, about a mile away around one of the cliffs, nestles in the next valley. The mountains around made for beautiful scenery. The largest room in the house was the study, which Harry had added on after Ginny complained that there was no room for anything in the house but his books. At that time the large library seemed like an exaggeration, _'when are you ever going to have enough books to fill this room?'_ Ginny had said when she saw the final result; he had in fact filled the entire room with books, and more by now. And even now piles of books were found neatly stacked along the shelved walls, and some were finding their way out into the rest of the house_. "maybe I should make it bigger"_ he had joked to her, when she had come in to put a pile of books she had found in the kitchen, the Idea was not greeted well by Ginny, who jokingly threw one of the smaller books at him.

Behind the house down the hill on the forest side, Harry had built a small Quidditch pitch for his children, in a well enough spot surrounded by tall oaks, so the muggles from the village wouldn't see them flying around if they got too close to the house. That usually never happened, the wards on the house made it impossible for any muggle to get within a quarter mile of the house, the spell Harry had put on the pitch however, prevented the children from flying too high, they had begged him a thousand times to remove them, with no good results.

He liked the house; he and Ginny had chosen the spot themselves, greatly due to the fact the location was similar to that of the Burrow's. Three floors accommodated the five Potters. A first floor kitchen, dinning area, family room and the study, three bedrooms on the second floor, his and Ginny's, Amy's room and a guest room, and the second landing of the study. On the attic room slept James and Ronnie. Harry had thought that two bathrooms in his house were enough, having a teenage daughter however made one of the bathrooms almost always out of service for the rest of the family, which had annoyed the boys considering the other bathroom was in their parent's room. They had complained to the point of Harry having to add another restroom on the first floor the summer before.

* * *

Harry was trying to relax, he had to be at his best today, he couldn't be in the state he usually was on the days like this one. He buried his face in his hands, he wished he could go to work, he breathed deeply and told himself everything was fine, he tried thinking about his children and Ginny, that always made him feel the world was right -if just because they were in it- He took his face from his hands and looked out the window, maybe the view would relax him…. no "God!" he groaned "everything's fine, just make it through the day Harry, just today. No need to worry about tomorrow, this is for Ronnie"

He had been staring intently at the trees in the distance when he heard the running feet of one of his children, and a minute later the door to the study opened an inch and immediately shut. An argument broke out outside the study door, Ginny was telling Ronnie to not bother his father and Ronnie was complaining about wanting to speak to him, that it was important. Soon his mother had managed to usher him away and Ronnie's complains shortly died out.

It was now eight twenty, he knew that Mrs. Weasley would be coming soon; he didn't want to be locked up when she arrived. Like her daughter, Molly knew when something was wrong with Harry; the only difference was that even as a grown man she would still fuss over him any time she could, even when he clearly needed his space. _"Harry James Potter, when will you learn; We're here for you, no need to keep it all in. Now tell me what's wrong." _Sometimes it was exhausting, but he knew that she loved him as much as she did any of her children; it had been years since she had seen any difference between them and him. He was one of them, a Weasley named Potter, who was now married into the family.

He straightened his robes at the collar, rubbed the bridge of his nose and put on his glasses. He was tired, he knew he needed sleep, but even if he went upstairs to bed, and laid down, he would probably just stare at the ceiling in his bedroom. He went up the spiral wooden staircases to the second landing of the study; he walked around to the furthest most corner, away from the stairs to the glass door containing the restricted books. He opened the glass doors by simply waving his hand in front of them, he had hidden Ronnie's gift in there, it was the only place in the house were his son couldn't or wouldn't dare enter. Amy had once figured a way to sneak in, and what happened when her father found her there was an event none of the children wanted ever to be repeated.

Harry walked down the spiral steps with a brand new racing broom held tightly in his hand, the words _Corvus 750, _printed on the shinny black handle in silver letters; he had enchanted a small box and expanded the inside to put the broom in it so Ronnie couldn't figure what it was. He placed the _Corvus_ in the box and with a wave of his wand bright yellow paper with falcon's zooming around _-Ronnie's Quidditch team were the 'Falmouth Falcons'-_ wrapped the box, then a red bow appeared tightly bound around it; when pulled off, this particular bow would jump to the person's head, and throw confetti down onto them for about half a minute, it was a _Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes_ product. -Ronnie had found this very amusing, when his uncle Fred had given Ginny a gift with this type of bow.-

* * *

"Can I open it dad?" Ronnie screamed getting up from his chair when his father entered the kitchen with the gift under his arm.

"Finish you breakfast Ronnie" Ginny called to her son without turning away from the plates she was serving. Ronnie immediately sat down as if the action was memorized by now.

"Can I open it, please, please?" Harry sat next to his son and ruffled his hair

"Why don't we wait for the party?"

"But?"

"Ronald" Ginny who had now flicked her wand setting a plait of egg, bacon, and toast in front of Harry, said sternly to her son.

"Okay" Ronnie uttered softly, but thoroughly disappointed.

More steps were heard coming down the kitchen stairs, and Amy entered closely followed by James who was speaking to his sister.

"You have to understand that adding _haly leafs_ to the potion wouldn't make a difference unless you add _vilo seeds_"

"but it didn't say anything in the book about adding _vilo seeds_" she said sitting down next to Ronnie, who smiled up at her in between chewing his bacon, and drinking pumpkin juice.

"Good morning kids" Harry added,

"Morning dad"

"Morning dad" James passed behind his sister and gave his mother a kiss before sitting down next to Amy. Ginny waved her wand and plates hovered towards them and one for herself.

"Why would I tell you to add them if you didn't need them, you either add the _vilo seeds_ along with the _haly leaf_ or don't add the leaf at all, right dad?" James asked looking up at his father.

"You can also add _gia seeds_, same effect than the _vilo_, but much easier to find." He said answering his son's question.

"But why use the _vilo seed_ at all? It's hard to find and expensive, I spent a week's worth of pocket money on just an ounce" Amy noted looking with interest at her father

"Let your father eat Amy" said Ginny who was now sitting next to Harry with her own plate of food.

"Its alright, Ginny" Harry said turning back to his children "There's a few potions in which replacing the _vilo seed_ with the _gia seed_ would be disastrous, but nothing that you two should even know about, very dangerous potions" he added glaring with a smile at his children "so unless it is said that_ gia_ can't be used to replace _vilo_, you don't have to worry" he finished

"Can I-?" Amy asked halfway getting out of her chair; she wanted to go write what her father told him, in her journal.

"When you're finished with breakfast, you can write it down" Harry said this time.

Ginny who was about to speak looked pleased with her husband. Amy sat back down and started to eat her food without a protest. Amy was not one to complain, is not like she did everything she was told but she knew how to get around the rules unnoticed and without causing chaos, besides rule breaking wasn't something she often enjoyed doing.

* * *

After breakfast was over, the kids went upstairs to get ready to go out, Harry was going to take them to the muggle village; their grandmother would arrive any minute, with their cousin Daniel, Hermione's and Ron's Seventeen year old son, and Harry's and Ginny's godson.

Hermione, her husband Aaron and their four year old Nancy were in Rome for the summer; doing research for a book the former was putting together. Hermione had met Aaron Jacabe in Hogwarts, were he was currently the Muggle Studies professor and Hermione the History of Magic Professor. Daniel had decided to stay with his grandmother in the Burrow this summer; next year would be his last at Hogwarts. So this summer he would spend a couple of weeks in the Potter's house and the rest at his grandparent's.

Harry heard calling from the living room "Ginny, Harry" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang,

"Were here mum" Ginny called from the kitchen.

Moments late, Mrs. Weasley, now with more wrinkles and graying hair, but looking just as sweet as ever; entered the kitchen followed by a teen that if no one had told you, was Ron himself with brown hair and a more athletic built. But the face, the blue eyes, even the freckles, they were Ron's. Danny entered the kitchen carrying a bag over his shoulder a smile on his face.

Ginny walked forward and hugged her mother, then she turned her attention to Danny, she looked at him at arms length and then embraced him in a tight hug, making him drop his bag.

"You look more like your father every day, Danny" Danny tried to hide a smile. He liked being told he looked like his father, he turned to say hello to his godfather, who had just finished giving his hellos to Mrs. Weasley.

"Hi, Harry" he said walking forward to hold Harry in a hug.

"How are you my lad?" Harry gave him a fatherly pat on the shoulder.

"I'm good, you?" Danny smiled.

"Always at my best"

"Danny, why don't you go upstairs with the kids, you can put your bag in the guest room" Ginny suggested with a smile.

"Okay" he said, pulling his duffle bag over his shoulder again and walking out of sight.

After a couple of seconds, Ginny dropped into the closest chair and a small tear fell down her cheek. "What's wrong?" Mrs. Weasley asked noticing her daughter's tears; Harry too had noticed and was now kneeling in front of his wife.

"Oh don't worry, just being silly, it's nothing bad, it's really just..." she started

"What, honey?" Harry said wiping the tear from her face

"He looks so much like him" she finished, another tear falling "today is eighteen years since it happen, since…since Ron …passed, that's why we named Ronnie after him" she added looking up at her mother, who was smiling sadly "On the anniversary of the day we lost Ron, we got our Ronnie."

"Oh, Ginny" Harry consoled embracing his wife. Every year, on the Anniversary of Ron's death, Ginny would have a small cry, only when her children couldn't see her, Ron's death had affected her the most from her family, -not to say that none of the other's had loved Ron as much- Ginny had only been feet away from were Ron fell and had whiteness him being hit with the killing curse and then what had made it worse, was witnessing the death of her other brother Percy. This was her way of mourning, as the nightmares were for Harry.

After calming Ginny down, as he did every year on the same day. Harry stood up as Mrs. Weasley handed Ginny a cup of tea. He could hear voices and laughing coming from the second floor.

"I'll tell the kids we'll leave the outing for tomorrow" Harry said getting up

"No, no, Harry don't be silly, go take the kids into town, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am" she assured her husband wiping the tears from her face, sniffling with a weak smile; Harry hesitated "go" she ushering him with a smile.

"Okay, I'll go get dressed and I'll get the kids so we can get going" he said, giving Ginny a kiss, and smiling as he walked out of the kitchen. Ginny sighed

As soon as Harry had left the kitchen, she dropped her face into her hands and sobbed slightly. She breathed deeply, willing herself to calm down before Harry and the kids came downstairs.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said pulling a chair in front of her and sitting down.

"He's having the nightmares" she said looking up at her mother, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks, her voice trying to stay as steady as possible.

"Has he been drinking again?" Molly asked her daughter seriously, Ginny sipped some of the tea and placed the cup on the table.

"No, but he's making believe nothing's happening, like last time. I know he's had them almost, if not every night this week, this was the only time I was able to wake him up, he couldn't deny it this time. But I am afraid he'll get like last time, to the point were he thinks he needs to drink to forget, to numb himself."

"Maybe Remus can talk to him, or his friend Dylan." Mrs. Weasley suggested still looking intently at her daughter.

"I'm just worried, last time this happened it went on for months, almost a year, and then the drinking. Drunk everyday for almost a year; I'm surprised it didn't kill him. And then that day, well you remember." Ginny said looking away from her mother's eyes, Molly remembered it, she remembered alright;

* * *

_Molly had been sitting up, waiting for her husband to come home. It had been weeks since he had been home before ten and it was now almost eleven. She had about given up that he would come home before morning when she heard her daughter's voice from the living room. _

"_Mum?" Ginny called. _

_Molly entered the living room and she was at lost of words to see her daughter standing there in her nightgown, Ronnie in her arms and the two five year olds standing at her side, falling asleep at their mother's side. _

_Molly couldn't help but notice the tears in her daughter's face and then she saw it, the red mark on her face. And when Ginny told her what had happened, she thanked God her husband wasn't home, if he would have found out, or if any of Ginny's brothers had, they might have killed Harry, at that moment, she felt like hurting him herself. But a greater surprise came, when the fireplace lit up an hour later and a note fluttered through, Ginny grabbed it and read it. And then without hesitation ran to the Fireplace and was immediately engulfed in emerald flames._

_And when Ginny had brought Harry there a short while later, the man falling drunk under his wife's arms; Ginny asking for her mother's help, It had taken Molly all the strength she possessed to help Ginny carry a mumbling drunken Harry up the stairs to Ginny's old room, it took all that and more to not hate him for hurting her daughter and to say yes, when Ginny asked her to help her, help Harry get over his addiction._

_Harry had stayed in the Burrow for two months, locked up. Fred, Bill and Mr. Weasley having to control him when he had an episode, he had tried to run out multiple times, saying he needed to drink something, that he needed to toast, that he needed to get away from Ron's shadow, that the shadow was angry because he, Harry wouldn't toast to his death._

_Harry had finally sobered up and the nightmares had stopped and with that Ron's shadow had diapered. Mrs. Weasley never mentioned knowing what he had done to Ginny, no one did, not even Ginny; But Molly remembered no one needed to remind her. _

* * *

"If it happened again, I don't know if I could take it; I don't think I would be strong enough to stand by him, start paying bartenders again for their silence and what about the children, you think they won't notice this time, its not like last time, they were so small, they don't remember anything and not to mention, Harry would lose his job again.

"If he would just talk about it, if he would just let someone in, it may help him understand. And maybe, maybe then he would stop blaming himself for what happened to Ron. - Maybe your right, maybe I can talk to Remus. If he convinces Harry to talk about it, the dreams might not come back." Mrs. Weasley had started to answer when they heard Harry calling from the stairs

"Amy, hurry up or we'll leave without you" he said as he entered the kitchen dressed in muggle clothes, with Ronnie by his side wearing a pair of muggle denim shorts and a blue t-shirt depicting some sort of yellow sponge cartoon.

Ronnie immediately ran to his grandmother's arms "grandma!" he screamed delighted as Molly hugged him tightly.

"Hi, Ronnie" Mrs. Weasley said kissing him

"Were going to the muggle village, your going with us?"

"That sounds fun, but I'm going to stay here with your mother, help her a bit with the cooking" she said giving him another kiss on the forehead and fixing the glasses on his face which were lopsided.

James and Danny walked in, also wearing muggle clothes; James gave his grandmother a hug and kiss. Molly passed him couple of gold coins before he could walk away.

"No, grandma, its okay" James insisted trying to give his grandmother back the galleons in his hand.

"I'll take it" Ronnie screamed jumping for the coins

"Ronald" Ginny scolded her son immediately.

"Sorry" he whispered sheepishly.

"Oh it's okay, Ginny. I got your gift in the family room, Ronnie." A smile as wide as was possible spread over Ronnie's face "you can open it later. Okay?"

"Okay" he smiled giving her another kiss and swiftly walking out of the kitchen taking the gift his parents gave him with him. He was obviously going to inspect the boxes of gifts already in the family room.

"And you take that, put it away and _maybe_ your mother can take you to open your own Gringotts account." She said winking at James, who looked at his mother; receiving a nod from her, he smiled and put the coin in his pocket

"Thank you grandma"

Moments later Amy entered, also wearing a pair of muggle jeans and shirt. She gave her grandmother a hug and kiss to which she also was passed the same amount of galleons, when trying to give them back, she was given the same speech as James and Amy reluctantly but with a smile pocketed the money once Ginny had nodded that it was okay to take it.

* * *

"Are you sure you can handle the lot of them, Harry? Maybe you should wait for Neville" Ginny said kissing her husband as they approached the front door, him in his muggle clothes reaching for a coat, Ginny in her dark blue robes, an apron over it.

"Of course I can, it's me they should be worrying about." He assured his wife with a chuckle at which time James who was walking towards the door after saying goodbye to his grandmother, had been grabbed and been tickled by his father.

"Dad!" he laugh prying himself free from his father, giving his mother a kiss then walking out to meet Amy, Danny and Ronnie, who were already outside.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Harry asked as he pulled on his coat

"Don't worry, mum and I can mange with the food and Neville and Luna shouldn't be too long, Luna said she'd stay with us and help."

"Okay then" Harry said giving Ginny a final kiss and walking out the door.

"Don't forget to be back by two, have fun kids, Oh and Harry don't let them have too many sweets, specially that one" she called with a smile pointing at Ronnie. She waved them goodbye and closed the door.

* * *

_**END CHATER THREE**_


	5. Chapter 4: Happy Birthday Ronnie

**A/N:** J.K.R. is the bestest for creating the amazing, awesome, magical world that Harry Potter lives in.

* * *

**CHATER FOUR: HAPPY BIRTHDAY RONNIE**

* * *

Harry had always taken the kids to the muggle village of St. Brian on Ronnie's birthday. James' and Amy's birthday took place during the school year so it served to have fun with them as well, for missing their birthdays. He loved this tradition. He thought that having fun with his children, would take his mind off the previous night. Besides Neville and his kids would meet them in the village soon, Neville had told Harry not to wait for them; that he would have no problem finding the road and then the muggle town from Harry's house. Harry of course knew that all the finding would be done by Hanna, Neville's fourteen year old; who unlike her father _-who was not as forgetful as he had been as a boy-_ had a terrific memory.

"Ron, not so fast, stay close to your brother and sister" Harry called to his son who was now a good three meters ahead of them. "James watch your brother wont you" Harry called and received a nod form his son, who immediately started running up to his younger brother and telling him to slow down.

"How are things, Danny?" Harry asked turning to look at Danny who was walking besides him quietly, a relentless sad look lingering beneath his somehow handsome features. Harry who was very close to Danny, had promised to always be there for him, to be the father he lost and never got to know. Even with that he had always made sure to remind him of the great man Ron had been.

"Their fine"

"School…?" Harry asked

"It's great, taking my N.E.W.T.'s this year" Danny said with a smile that was a little disheartened.

"Well that's _fun_; I remember when your mum, dad and I took them. Your mum of course you know blew us away with her results, mine and Ron's weren't that bad mind you, got us accepted into the Auror training program." Harry held his breath, Ron had never made it to the Auror training program with him "So I heard you got accepted into the Puddlemere United's reserve team" he continued changing the subject.

"Yeah, it's been great, just received the letter yesterday, Tomas got in too, wrote mum an owl. The scout saw me playing at school during the final match against Hufflepuff; he was really impressed and said he would write."

"That's great, Danny, so why the sad look then?"

"Nothing" Danny smirked lightly

"Home then… how are thing with your mum, Aaron?"

"Their good, they'll be back a little before term starts, Aaron and mum have to get back to work at school."

"What's left then, to be sad about- girls?" at this Danny turned away his sad look intensified, Harry had hit a nerve "oh, so there's a girl" Harry smiled

"Kind of, its… well I don't really know if it's serious, we went out a couple of times and... well I… before we came home, well I sort of… gave her a kiss"

"Well that's good, isn't it?"

"Well that's it, when I kissed her she sort of went rigid and ran off saying '_sorry'_ and I don't know what else… I think she's never been kissed before. But she's in my year only a couple of months younger than me, how was I supposed to know… and now I don't know, I don't know if she's my girlfriend, I don't know if she'll talk to me again, I sent her an owl, but I haven't gotten an answer…" he sighed "I just don't know" He finished putting his head down,

Harry distinctly heard him grunt something that sounded like _"girls"_ and _"never can tell what's wrong"_ Harry tried to hide a grin. The boy was so much like Ron, when it came to girls his father had been as clueless as Danny was, of course, so had Harry; it had taken Ron over six years to tell Hermione how he had felt about her, well at least Danny had gone for it, and given the girl a kiss. He composed himself as to not embarrass his godson, and spoke.

"For a girl, Danny, a first kiss is very important, I know for us men its mostly an embarrassing achievement" They both laughed at this, Harry thinking to himself that this was very much true, he thought of himself of the fiasco his first kiss with Cho Chang had been, he remembered tears being present.

"That's the way things work, she'll get around to you, don't worry. Okay? I'm sure if things were meant to be serious between you two, things will work out. Look at your mum and dad, took your dad well enough to tell her what he felt for her." Danny gave a sort of half smile, before breathing in and putting a hand to his Godfather's shoulder. "You're a lot like your father you know? Although you got a jump start on telling the girl how you feel. How women feel, son; that will remain a mystery for a long time, if not for _ever_." Harry told him, giving him a smile.

"Yeah everyone tells me girls are…." He stopped, and then turned to his godfather "that's good, right? That I'm like my dad I mean, not the never understanding women thing, that's actually horrible to conceive." He finished frowning

"You have no Idea. But to the other thing, your dad was an amazing person Daniel. He was a great man; great friend, great husband and he would have made a great father….He fought like hero and left this world being one, you should be proud of that. Always be proud that you're growing into the kind of man your dad was"

"I am…I just….I just wished I could have known him, I mean I have my mum, and Aaron is a nice enough bloke, but none of them are my father, none of them are Ron Weasley….. I have you though" Danny looked up at Harry and grinning.

"You always will" Harry said, as they continued walking down the road, a few feet ahead of them James, who had finally had enough of Ronnie, had handed him off to Amy who had miraculously manage to calm him down. Ronnie was now walking besides his sister calmly, James who was nearby, was throwing his little brother annoyed looks.

* * *

Neville had made a name for himself in the field of Botany; he had discovered the plant which lead to the making of the _'Fermare il lupo'_ potion, which had successfully been able to stop a werewolf's transformation eighty five percent of the time. Luna, to everyone's surprise, had become the editor of the _Daily Prophet_, still some rather strange articles popped up in the news paper once in a while. But her strange believes, of weird creatures and conspiracy theories, had somehow diminished in great strides over the years just enough so people weren't uncomfortable around her, _as much_.

"I'm sorry we're late Harry, we got lost" Neville explained as he Hanna and his son Alex, met Harry and the kids in a sweets store. Even though Neville was well known for his discoveries in botany, he still had a hard time discovering his way around his own laboratory. This was a joke Harry had often told, to which his friend had turned red from embarrassment, but then ended laughing it off.

"Did you really? Hanna, you know how to come here. Haven't I brought you with me the last couple of summers?" he had turned to Hanna, who was now talking to Amy; Hanna who looked a lot like Luna, except maybe not as dreamy, had turned to look at her father and Harry with a look of annoyance in her face.

"I told him, but he said he didn't remember the way I pointed as being the right one, so we ended up going around the wrong hill and to the back of your house to the Quidditch pitch" Harry tried to hold a laugh in.

"Neville, next time listen to the kid she knows what she's talking about, unless it was a walk in the country you fancied, or maybe a game of Quidditch." Harry joked not being able to hold in a chuckle, Neville who had looked a little embarrassed the whole time, finally let out a laugh himself as Harry gave him a hearty pat on the back. "Come on, I want to pick up some pens for Arthur" Harry said walking to the shop's door.

"Some what?" Neville asked as he held the door open for the kids, who were now filing out.

"It's what muggles use instead of quills; quite practical actually, the ink is already inside" Harry explained to Neville who was walking next to him.

"Yeah granddad gave me one, I tried using it in school, but the professors didn't like it, not even the muggle born ones, said it was lazy" Danny put in, when he stopped to let a running Alex through.

They had walked up and down the main street of St. Brian, had some muggle treats, Danny specially liked the cold coffee drinks they sold in the local coffee shop and Neville had bought both Ronnie and Alex small muggle toys at a toy shop. Harry had also stopped by a small shop to buy some pens for Arthur. Neville had picked up a strange device and laughed, he had then stabbed himself with a small metal needle bent in three, which came out when he pressed the strange device. Harry told him it was a 'stapler'; muggles used it to attach paper together, since they didn't use scrolls of parchment, but individual smaller sheets.

"Alex don't run you'll get hurt" Neville called after his son for the third time that morning, but too late. Alex had already ran straight into the curve and tripped falling face first into the road. "Alex!" Neville cried out running to his son who was being picket up by a man, Harry and Danny followed.

"You okay, lad?" said the man who looked up as Neville reached his son.

"Thank you very much" Neville said taking a crying Alex's hand.

"No problem" said the man "be careful next time young man" said the man winking at Alex, then he looked up at Harry with a smile "Mr. Potter" He greeted Harry tipping his hat, and walking away.

"I told you not to run, look at the state of you." Neville said kneeling in front of his son, who now sported a bloody nose and was sobbing into his father's hands. "Lets…" he said looking around the streets as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and put it to his son's nose. The street was full of muggles, he spotted an ally way. Neville took Alex to the alley, and used_"Episkey"_ on Alex's nose. All awhile, Harry made sure no muggle saw them.

"Let me take a look" he said as Alex took the handkerchief away from his nose still sniffling to let his father take a look at him. "Its fine, but no more running, next time I'll let your mother fix it; see what she says about you not paying attention and then getting hurt."

Tears started to flow out of Alex's eyes again. "Don't tell her dad, I promise I won't anymore, I'll behave" he begged his father with a final sniffle.

Neville smiled at his son "I won't, but no more running wild okay, here let me clean you" he added taking the handkerchief from his son's hand and wiping his face from the blood.

"You know that bloke?" Neville asked Harry after making sure his son was perfectly fine, and letting him off to be watched by Hanna and Amy, while him and Ronnie talked of Quidditch.

"Local Muggle, widower to a witch, has a son that works at the Ministry. He moved back here to his home town after his wife passed away a couple of years back." Harry said about the man who had helped Alex.

After looking at a couple of the other shops and an incident were Ronnie hit James and was told off by his father. Harry, Neville and the kids made their way back to the House; it was now 1:30, and with luck, if no one got lost in the way there -Harry had lost one kid or more, at one time or another, usually they were hiding behind a tree or bush to play their father a joke- They would get home in time to get dressed and receive the guests for Ronnie's party.

* * *

"Go change your shirt before your mum sees you" Neville whispered to Alex as they entered the house.

Both Alex and Ronnie ran upstairs so Alex could change into a blood free shirt. Even with just a couple of drops of blood, Luna would ask what happened and then she would blame Neville after telling off her son for not paying attention to his father's warnings.

"She's going to see the guilt in your face, mate" Harry whispered into Neville's ear as they entered the family room, were already the delicious smell of foods could be whiffed coming from the kitchen.

True enough, Luna had managed to see the guilt in her husband's eyes and was able to get the events of that morning out of him, the look in Neville's eyes was one of complete horror, funny as Harry found this, he had to admit that when Ginny was in one of her moods, he would run as fast as he could. Neville on the other hand stood his ground.

"He's fine and besides he's learned his lesson, half scared he was" Neville told his wife "Let him enjoy the day, come on honey its Ronnie's birthday, don't get started on him right now" he said, giving his wife a kiss and managing to subdue her like only he could.

By the time Alex and Ronnie had come down the stairs, Alex sporting one of Ronnie's shirts, Luna had agreed to let the incident go. When the boys entered the living room, she had given Alex a stern look which told him his father had folded under her accusatory gaze and told him everything, thankfully enough she didn't say anything, and instead she turned to Ronnie, smiled and open her arms to hug her godson.

Little by little, family and friend's had started arriving. First Mr. Weasley, Harry's father-in-law. Who had been working and hadn't been able to make it in the morning with his wife. He had brought with him a large, strangely wrapped package, which Mrs. Weasley eyed woefully.

Harry's friend Dylan, a retired Quidditch player, arrived soon after, with his son Tomas. A young man only a couple of months younger than Danny. Tomas had a sense of humor like James and Danny, which brought trouble when all three were together for too long.

Fred also came with his girlfriend, Valerie St.Thomas. A very sweet girl, who had a hidden talent for pulling pranks, like her boyfriend. Fred had had very good profits with the chain of joke shops, him and George had started years before. Their defense against the dark arts line; of protective cloaks, and darkness powder; had expanded into its own company; the _WWATC_ _'Weasley's Wizard Anti Terrorism Company'_, which had made Fred quite the wealthy man and a sought after bachelor. But to his mother's delight, he had put his eyes and heart in sweet Valerie.

Bill, Fleur and their daughter Marianne who was nineteen and had finished Hogwarts two years before, came of course. Even McGonagall showed up for a small while and gave Ronnie a small package with sweets from Honeydukes. Moody had sent an owl, with a sneakascope and a letter of warning to always be on the watch for dark wizards.

* * *

…_Constant Vigilance young Ronald, be on your watch…_

_-Alastor Mood…_

_p.s. Happy Birthday…_

_p.s. keep a look out always, don't trust anyone… sleep with one eye open… _

_Have fun today._

* * *

Ginny who had read the letter first, had wrinkled it and thrown it in the fire. "It says happy birthday, it was a little smudgy, hard to read." She said to her son with a smile, everyone snorted under their breath, they knew Moody's letter didn't only say a simple happy birthday, it probably hadn't said happy birthday at all. The only person that hadn't arrived, Harry noticed, had been Lupin and Tonks, who normally would not miss any of the kid's birthdays.

Soon some of Ronnie's friends arrived, accompanied by their parents, and a few with older siblings who knew the older Potter children from school. Most of Ronnie's friends, were the children of Ginny's and Harry's acquaintances, having not been to school yet, this was also true of Alex, who happened to be Ronnie's closest friend.

Ronnie's birthday had been uneventful after Moody's letter, that is until Arthur had given Ron the gift he brought for him, which Molly thought not appropriate for a young wizard, "Giving the boy a muggle artifact, no sense, really, Arthur" Molly had complained when Ronnie unwrapped it.

it was what Mr.Weasley called a "Bi-kicol, or some sort" Harry laughed, when he saw a shinny red Bicycle, with tassels on the handless and a white basket on the front with a little flower on it, he then remember taking a ride in Dudley's when his cousin had gotten angry and thrown it at him and gone inside to have his mother give him a treat. But this one, he notices was a girl's bicycle.

"Arthur?" he called and the older man turned around to look at him with a smile

"I think he likes it" Mr. Weasley said walking closer to Harry. Harry looked and saw a skeptical look in his son's face as he inspected the bike.

"Yeah" Harry suppressed a smile "But I think that's a girl's bicycle"

"It's that what their called, Bicycles?" Mr. Weasley said immediately taking a second glanced at the bike, which Ronnie had abandoned to unwrap a gift from Fred.

"Yes but that's meant for a girl, maybe you can change it, or you-" he added making sure to sound as nice as possible.

"Are you sure? I've seen muggle boys ridding those."

"Well yes I'm sure, but the tassels and the basket are for the girls, not the boys, the styles are different for both"

"Huh" Mr.Weasley took a closer look at the bicycle. Then with not even the smallest sign, Mr. Weasley had broken out laughing and commented out loud his mistake, making everyone else also burst out in laughter, except for Ronnie who was offended at being given a girl's toy. Later Mr. Weasley had promised his grandson he'd take him to Diagon Alley the following week, to choose his own gift. One hopefully that was made for a boy. "A wizard boy" Molly had added to her husband's promise.

Harry had also given Mr.Weasley the pens he had bought in town, which Mr.Weasley took gleefully as he examined them, "Pens!" he had exclaimed when Harry handed them to him.

"Yep, I thought you might like them. I noticed they are not in your collection. This one" he started taking one of them out of a box "Is what astronauts use, I'll explain later" he added when Mr. Weasley had started to ask what Astronauts were "you can write upside down and the ink still flows, its very nice, made of titanium. This one, well all It really does is light up when you press the button on top, give it a try" Harry handed it over to Mr. Weasley who immediately pressed the button on top and smiled when the pen glowed blue, then red and finally green.

"Thank you, Harry." He thanked his son-in-law, with delighted pat on the back.

Bill and Fleur had given Ronnie a very nice set of robes. Marianne on the other hand, had given Ronnie a quafell signed by all the Falcons. She happened to be engaged to a chaser in the reserve team, a young man named Alderic Judd. The team had become Ronnie's favorite since Marianne had gotten him season passes a year and half before, "complements of Aldie" she had told him. Marianne, had her mother's beauty and her father's resilience, _"a great combination, to marry a Quidditch player, they need strong women to keep them in line"_ Mrs. Weasley had told her granddaughter, when her and Alderic had announced their engagement a few months before.

Mrs. Weasley had bought Ronnie a ten inch scale of a Hungarian Horntail, which breather fire _-that didn't burn-_ and flew four feet off the ground following it's owner around and slept when it was told to. It was just like having a real pet, except that you didn't have to feed it, clean after it, or take it to get healed. All in all, it had been a great day, Ronnie had been happy the whole day -except with the bicycle incident- and Harry had been able to go most of the day not thinking about anything depressing

Dylan and Tomas had given Ronnie a box full of treats and a Falmouth Falcon's framed photo, which had each of the team mates fly around the front; make their famous maneuver and then fly away to let the next team member through.

At around six, when all the gifts had been opened, dinner and cake eaten and conversations had been made. The guests started to leave, soon only the Potters and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were left. Ronnie was showing Alex, -who had been allowed to stay for the night- a complete set of one inch models of the Falmouth falcons, flying around a model Quidditch pitch doing tricks on their brooms. This was a gift from his godparents, Neville and Luna. The box in which it came, Harry had seen, said more model teams could be bought, to have a match. He knew Ronnie would start asking him and his mother to buy them.

The Racing broom from his parents had been the biggest surprise and Ronnie had started jumping with joy and was allowed to go outside to the pitch, with his brother, sister, cousins and some friends. The broom was now sitting over his lap and the toy dragon slept at his side as he spoke with Alex about the Falcons.

"…they have a good season so far, but they can do better" Ronnie was saying

"Emric is having a good season; he's caught the snitch last six games." Alex commented

"He's brilliant, best seeker ever." Ronnie exclaimed

"Time for bed boys" Ginny finally said almost at eleven, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had said good bye and left at about half pass nine. And Amy, James, and Danny had already gone upstairs. With the promise they would go to bed by twelve.

"Mum, a little while longer, pleaseeeee"

"Now Ronnie, I know it's your birthday, but it's already pass your bed time, I think I've let you up long enough." She added with a smile. "Okay?"

"Okay" he replied somewhat disappointed, and both he and Alex walked up the stairs, leaving Harry and Ginny to pick up a little, before turning in for the night.

"Their Happy, are you happy?" Harry asked while he helped Ginny washed some dishes in the kitchen.

"Why wouldn't I be, I have all of you. I don't need anything else." She said letting Harry lay a soft kiss on her cheek.

* * *

"Neither do I" He agreed with a smile.

* * *

_**END CHAPTER FOUR**_


	6. Chapter 5: Dawning Day

**A/N: **J.K.R. Created Harry Potter and the Magical world he lives in, the rest was totally me... Seriously, don't believe me, fine.. Thanks fore reading...

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE: DAWNING DAY**

* * *

_They were sitting in the gloomy kitchen of number twelve Grimmauld place, Harry and Ron, best friends, brothers to the bitter end. They had been toasting "To a victory that might never come" Ron had said at one point when the toasts had become one to many and more incoherent with every drink they tipped back. _

_The final battle was approaching; they could feel it everyone could. Everything was just too quiet, that eerie silence that covered the night was just more terrifying than anything Voldemort could have thrown at them, the daytime was just mocking, the waiting, the not knowing, it was un-bearing and the only thing left to do was drink and be with those loved ones still left alive; and that's what the Potter Weasley family was doing, to try and forget if for just a small moment, all the horror and chaos going on in the world at that moment._

_What else is there to do when a known, genocidal maniac stops killing? No killings, "It's a good thing right?" Ginny had asked Harry, already knowing the horrible answer was not what she and everyone else hoped for. Harry wished his answer could have been "yes" but how could it be when the evidence was overwhelming. Voldemort was planning something big, why else would he have retreated his Death Eaters? And to everyone's dismay, the Final battle was most likely the big upcoming event. _

_But when would Voldemort strike? Harry and all those who fought by his side; christen by Ginny the Phoenix Army, which was now the name everyone used. Were as prepared as they were going to be, they were ready to fight him. _

_They would fight "To the bitter end" Harry had been known to say in the privacy of his home, but bitter would never be the word he would use to talk to those fighting by his side, even when bitter was what the end would most likely be like._

"_Maybe tomorrow" they thought "Maybe tomorrow will be the day, the day we fight to end this" tomorrow meant anything, tomorrow meant one day, two days, a week, a month, maybe even years. Although, from what had been happening lately, they knew it was most likely sooner than later. But they never would have imagined that it would be the very next day._

"_I'm going to be a father" Ron suddenly said looking up at his friend, interrupting the quiet they had been enjoying for the past fifteen minutes, "we found out this morning." He was looking for a reaction from his friend who was sitting across the table, a bottle of firewhiskey in-between them and two empty glasses in front of each. Harry looked stunned, but a smile was spreading across his face "I don't know if I'll be any good at it." Ron said starting to spin the empty glass in front of him, "being a father, that is."_

"_You'll be great" Harry piped, the shock from the news lifting, the joy apparent in his face._

"_You think?" Ron asked with a quick smile, the glass now spinning faster in his nervous hands._

"_I know you will, Ron, no doubt about that" Harry assured his friend, stopping Ron's spinning glass and pouring him a drink. "Lets toast…" he said as he poured himself one "…to Ron Weasley, becoming a father, to making me an uncle" he toasted as they clinked their glasses, and drunk some of the amber colored liquid._

"_To tomorrow, may we live to see the sun rise in a free England one more day" Ron toasted as Harry raised his glass to met Ron's _

"_Cheers" They both said as they clinked again drinking the remainder of the con tent of their glasses. _

_Ron cleared his throat, he had something on his mind, something he had been going over in his head since he and Hermione had found out about the baby that morning. "Could I ask you for something Harry?"_

_Harry looked up, the look on his friends face was one of total gloom. "Anything" he guaranteed a little worried._

"_If I uh-If I don't make it-?" Ron started looking straight into his friend's eyes_

"_-You will, I'll make sure of that." Ron gave a faint smile at Harry's obvious attempt to prevent hearing what he was about to hear._

"_I just wanted to know-" Ron maintained, his expression straight once again._

"_-Don't" Harry interrupted; he didn't want to hear it. "You'll be there Ron, all the way through; for the first steps, the first words, the first day of school, the first love and for all the other redheaded little tykes. You'll be there, mate, so don't"_

"_Harry, please, just let me- okay? I need this" Ron asked an expression of complete importance on his face, Harry looked away; he knew the question, he looked back at his friend and nodded. _

"_Just promise that if I don't make it; you'll be there for them, right, Harry? Promise me that if I don't make it my baby will have a father in you… that you'll help Hermione, she acts like she's a brick, but she's not, none of us really are, even when we play strong." Harry had lost his words, of course he would be there for him or her and for Hermione, but the thought of Ron dying, it was just not possible._

"_You never had to ask, Ron"_

"_Just do it please, for my sake." Ron implored reaching a hand across the table to find his friend's._

"_I-I promise" Harry finally mustered the words. That was the last conversation they ever had, it had been the night before the final battle. The night Ron found out Danny was on his way._

_And then Ron was screaming at Harry, he was screaming his name, Harry had turned to see the look of total loss and confusion on his friend's face as the green light engulfed him and then he was dead, just one second and he was gone and there she stood laughing, laughing at what she had done, laughing at having killed him._

_And he was on his knees screaming, begging; shacking his friend's lifeless body_

"_Wake up Ron, wake up."_

* * *

"Harry!" Ginny again pushed him. He opened his eyes, confused, his invisible wand again pointed at the invisible enemy, but again he was in bed and again eighteen years had passed.

"I'm sorry" he said trying to slow his breathing "I was-I was just" he breathed in deeply.

"Its okay, darling" Ginny assured him passing her hand through his damp hair

"I just don't know" he said putting his hands to his face a faint sob breaking through.

"Harry?" she pulled one of his hands away from his face.

"Oh it's nothing" Harry said wiping the apparent tear from his eye, before getting up.

"Harry please, don't" Ginny said sitting up on the bed "please talk to me, this can't go on. How long do you think you can take it this time, before…?" she had stopped, she couldn't believe what she had been about to say, she had promised herself to never remind him. Harry was now staring at her in disbelief, an apparent overwhelming look on his face.

"Before what, Ginny?" he questioned his wife, taking a step closer the anger building up in his eyes.

"Nothing" she said stealing her guilty eyes away from his. "I didn't mean what…" She had started before Harry interrupted.

"…Before I go into a drunken rage and attack you, right? You haven't forgiven me have you? I mean how could you. I was stupid to believe that you ever would. I was an animal and I-" He stopped, but he wasn't angry anymore, his eyes were glistening he was starting to cry. "I'm sorry I- I'm sorry I hurt you" He finished turning around and storming out of the room.

"Harry!" she called after him as she got out of bed as fast as she could and followed him out the door. "That's not what I meant" she called almost running down the stairs, but he was gone, he was out of the house. She made it to the front door which now stood ajar. "Don't, Harry" she called to him, but before she could run to him, he had disapparated beyond the front gate of the house with a loud _'crack'_.

"God!!" she screamed slamming the front door. "Why did you say that?" she told herself "stupid, stupid. What were you thinking, Ginny" she said pacing back and forth in the living room, tears in her eyes. "Why did you do that?" she told herself again as she fell into a seat and started to cry her face buried in her hands. "Oh, Harry"

"Aunt Ginny?" Danny was standing at the base of the stairs, wearing his pinstriped blue pajamas; he was looking worried at his aunt who was crying. The slamming of the door had woken him and he still wore signs of sleep on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked as he walked closer. Ginny looked up at him, smiled and cleared the tears from her face.

"Oh nothing to worry about, Danny" Danny gave her doubtful look; he knew his aunt wouldn't cry for no reason, she was not the kind of person. Something was wrong and he thought he had heard screaming before the slamming of the door had woken him, he wouldn't push it, but something _was_ wrong.

"Okay"

"Why don't you wake the others and get cleaned up and then a spot of breakfast" she said getting up, and wiping another tear from her cheek a forced smile on her face.

"I…" Danny spoke, thinking still not moving, still looking straight into his aunt's face.

Ginny walked up to him, put her hands to his face and smiled "Everything's fine really, don't worry about anything" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek and passing her hand through his hair. She was examining him, looking at every detail of his face _"He looks just like Ron"_ she thought, and then she smiled and walked towards the kitchen. And Danny still not convinced, stood motionless for a second, before walking up the stairs to wake up the others and get cleaned up for the day.

* * *

"She hates me"

Harry was sitting on a park bench in London, his head down.

"I deserve it" he told himself. "How can she really love me after what I did" he sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"What am I going to do?" he asked himself.

"What about some clothes? You're starting to look quite silly in my opinion" Remus Lupin was standing in front of Harry, a cloak over his arm.

"She called you?" he asked looking up at him.

"I could lie and say no? Maybe I can say that I was in the neighborhood, that I'd fancied a walk in the park and happen to come across you sitting on a park bench in your night clothes" Lupin said sitting next to Harry, placing the cloak over Harry's shoulders.

"She tries… but I just can't, I-I try I really do. We both do but it's just, it's too much." Harry unreasonably said looking into his friend's eyes, eyes which were now aged beyond their years, but still held some happiness even with everything their owner had gone through.

Lupin was now the only person left, who represented for Harry a small part of his parents, a small memory of who Lily and James Potter had been. The man now before him had not changed much from the one he had met when he was thirteen. Back then Lupin had been his Defense against the Darks Arts professor. His hair was now almost completely gray and some wrinkles could be seen, he had a fresh cut across his face, Harry knew the full moon had been a couple of days before, that's why Lupin hadn't shown up for Ronnie's birthday, he had had an _'episode'_ as they were now called. He had heard this bit of information when Arthur had whispered it to Ginny at Ronnie's party when Ginny had asked her father for Remus.

Looking into his friend's eyes Harry realized how much he needed his mentor's advice right now. Lupin had been the best of friends over the years, almost a father to Harry. Always there even when Harry had tried to push him away. But he was still there, comforting his '_son'_. Even when Lupin had more reason to be in the place were Harry was now, he never yielded in his efforts to help Harry. Lupin after all had lost a child, his little boy, Sirius. Since then Lupin had been unyielding to have another child with his wife, Tonks. The memory of the accident that had ended the small boy's life must have brought blinding pain to Lupin, but Lupin had not broken down, he had continued strong and of course he had his Godson Clive, son of a man Remus had met during the war.

Lupin's altruism had offered Harry some hope over the years, it had showed him what real men were made of, real heroes like Lupin who had fought right alongside him in the war and who were still there in the final battle and still there eighteen years later, sitting on a park bench at seven in the morning, apparent to have dressed in a hurry, as if he'd been pulled from his bed; consoling his young troubled friend.

"You can, and so can she…" Lupin's voice had taken Harry away from his thoughts "… As long as you don't give up….If you give up Harry, there's nothing you can tell me to convince me you truly lover her." Lupin said putting an arm around Harry's shoulder.

"I…" Harry said, his answer not being able to form itself in his head, he was right giving up was not a choice.

"And she doesn't hate you; it's the opposite, Harry. She loves you so much that it hurts her; it hurts her that you won't let her help you, that you won't trust her with what you're going through. What she's feeling is the farthest thing from hate you could ever imagine"

Harry didn't answer, he never had an answer. How could he argue against that? Of course Ginny loved him, she had proven it to him and she had told him more than once. How could she not, when she had given him the greatest sign of love a woman could give a man, his children, his beautiful children. He had no answer; once again, Lupin was right.

Harry and Lupin sat in silence on the park bench. By this time muggles had started noticing the strange man in his pajamas and his older companion in a set of grey robes, both wearing what look to them like black capes.

* * *

"He'll be fine; I had a talk with him, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll have another talk with him when he calms down, tonight perhaps after I leave the office" Lupin was telling Ginny. She nodded her head in agreement. Harry needed to be pushed out of this state, and fast. And the only person he listened to when he was like this was Lupin.

Harry, who now sat playing with Ronnie on the living room floor. He had walked in silence into his house when he couldn't think of anything else to do when Lupin had accompanied him home an hour after he had found him sitting sulking on the park bench.

He had found himself speechless in front of his wife when she had hugged him, Ronnie had asked him to play exploding snaps with him, and he had simply agreed. "Sure" he had muttered to his son as Ginny gave him a sad look and touched his arm as he passed by, not being able to even look her straight in the eye.

"Just give him space, don't make a big deal out of this morning's incident." Lupin said Grabbing Ginny by the hands.

"He just- he looks…" she couldn't say it…. There was no way to describe him, he wasn't Harry.

Lupin glanced at Harry, who was still playing with Ronnie, a forced smile on his face. "He's more disappointed in himself, more than anything."

"Thank you, Remus" she said, taking a worried look back at Harry.

"He'll be fine; like I said I'll come back tonight and have a talk with him" Ginny gave him a _'good luck with that' _look.

"Don't worry I have my ways" he said seeing her face, he gave her a hug.

"I'll see you later then" he told her "Good bye, Harry, Ronnie be good"

"Good bye uncle Remus" Ronnie said smiling; Harry simply nodded and continued the game.

* * *

_Lupin's life of course had changed since the end of the war. It seemed that luck had finally caught up with him. He had a good job at the ministry doing Auror training, for the new Aurors straight out of Hogwarts. And Tonks, who was still in the Auror Department, now had an office job. She sat in a position not to far bellow the head of the department, and did field work, once in a while. Both were still active members of the Order like Harry, Ginny and the Weasleys. This had made a great change in Lupin's life, he no longer wore ragged, over worn clothes, and with the new Werewolf protection Act that had passed just three years after the final battle, that meant that he was no longer persecuted, and rejected by the public for who he was, at least not without any legal repercussions. _

_Any Werewolf willing to lead an honest life had to register. And with that the government freely send them the new 'Fermare il lupo' potion, that had to be taken a day before the full moon. Sadly it was not perfect, it did not always work, sometimes, even the potion didn't help. Once in a while the wizard would have an 'episode' even after taking the potion. That's why to prevent any accidents the wizard would have to be locked up for at least an hour after taking the potion, at every full moon. But even with that, life had changed greatly for Remus Lupin, and other Werewolves around the world._

* * *

By that afternoon, everyone had noticed Harry's odd behavior. He was barely speaking, and all his smiles were forced. But for all the times they asked, all Ginny had told the children was that nothing was wrong.

"She's lying" Amy had said to James and Danny as she walked out of the kitchen Carrying a plate of sandwiches for supper. Danny had a jug of pumpkin juice, and James a couple of cups. "She never let's us eat in the living room" Amy said taking a look back towards the kitchen as the three teens settled themselves in a corner of the living room to have some supper.

"Yeah I was surprised when she told us to come here" Danny said sitting down.

"She only does that-" James had started also sitting

"- when something's wrong." Amy had finished sitting down next to her cousin, and placing the plate in the center.

They had finished their sandwiches, and Ginny had taken the dishes to the kitchen. Ronnie had been allowed to eat in his room. Amy and the others had found that the strangest, even Ronnie had had a hard time letting down his guard when his mother told him to take his supper upstairs.

"She thinks we don't notice, dad's been like this before." Amy whispered to James and Danny. All of them were sitting away from Ginny's earshot, a card game between them. Harry had been locked up in his study all afternoon, and Lupin had come in just two hours before, and had just walked out of the house half an hour earlier, giving Ginny a smile and a kiss, and saying goodbye to the kids, and promising Ronnie who had ran downstairs to say goodbye to Lupin, some Quidditch trading cards on his next visit.

"Remember how he was when we came back for Holiday our first year? It also happened two summers ago" she said looking at James, who was clearly upset, and hadn't said anything. James, who had more of his father's temper, never took these incidents lightly. Amy and Ronnie were obviously more level headed like their mother, and took in every detail before coming to any angry conclusions.

"I heard mum speaking to Aaron, she thinks Uncle Harry feels guilty about being alive when my dad isn't" Danny said chocking on his words a little.

"That's rubbish!" James spoken a little too loud and Amy shushed him, their mother who had been reading by the fire, had looked over her book at them.

Amy looked at her mother. "James thinks I cheated" Amy said, very unconvincingly pointing at the untouched deck of cards on the floor, it had been the first thing that came to her mind.

"No fighting you lot…" She gazed towards the stairs, and put her book down. "I'm going to check on your brother tell him to go to bed, boy hasn't made a sound in half an hour. You three in bed by eleven" Ginny said, as she got up and walked towards the stairs.

"Okay mum" Amy said, as they watched her climb the stairs. "Watch your voice" she told her brother demandingly.

"I'm just saying" James said, looking down at his shoe laces, his voice just over a whisper. "It's Rubbish to be guilty about being alive"

"I know... but think about it, if one of us died and you were there, wouldn't you feel bad? I don't think he actually feels bad about being alive" Amy said looking at her brother who was still paying to much attention to his shoe lace. "He's just-"

"He's just being stupid, acting crazy; like our family needs more crazy on its part" James said immediately "I would never feel guilty about not dying."

"Oh come on, like I don't know you; you'd be moping in corners, swearing your revenge, saying your life was over acting _'crazy'_. You're just like dad; everything is always on you, always the hero!" Amy had said a little too loud, starting to get angry. James was about to answer rudely, when Danny interrupted.

"You're mother's going to hear, besides why are you fighting? This is isn't exactly the right moment, is it now?" Danny had said, picking up the deck of cards, and starting to set a game for them to play.

James got up and walked away, stomping up the stairs towards his room.

"You shouldn't have said that" Danny said putting down the cards

"It's true though… He can't help himself, I'm not saying its bad that he wants to help people, but he over does it sometimes. Look who's talking about crazy, ha" She said snorting, a look of total anger in her face, looking towards the stairs. Then suddenly, they heard the door from the study opening from the hallway, and both Amy and Danny looked towards it, Harry was walking out of the hallway, he had finally come out of the library, his hair messy, wearing a set of wrinkled black house robes, his beard starting to show.

"Hi, dad" Amy said looking up at her father, who was now halfway through the living room.

Harry confused looked down, he had not noticed his daughter and godson, sitting in plain sight, a smile spread over his face, and he stopped.

"How are you, love?" he said walking towards them.

"Good" Amy said with a little skeptical look in her face.

"Hi, Uncle Harry" Danny said, as both Amy and him stood up.

"Hi, Danny. Where's your mother Amy?" he said to his daughter.

"Upstairs with Ronnie" Amy said.

"Okay, I'll go talk to her" he said again smiling, and kissing his daughter on the forehead, and patting Danny on the shoulder, as he kissed the top of his head.

"Don't go to bed too late kids" he said as he started up the stairs

"We won't" Danny said as he and Amy watched him climb the rest of the stairs, and then looked at each other, a smile making its way into Amy's lips.

"What?" Danny was now confused, but he was also smiling, although he wasn't completely sure why. But now that he thought about it, maybe crazy did run in the Potter Weasley family, after all random smiling did seem to fit the description,

"Remember I said he's done this before?" Danny shook his head "Well, when he willingly wants to have a conversation with mum, things are going to be okay. He usually just needs a little time to himself, and then like nothing, he's all smiles again."

"All smiles?" Danny said making an exaggerated grin.

"It's an exaggeration Danny" she said swatting him playfully, as he grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at her.

"Oh you prat!" she screamed with a smile, grabbing another pillow and swatting him with it.

"Hey, that's my good face, I've spent years perfecting these rugged good looks, you'll pay" he said as they continued to swat each other with the throw pillows.

* * *

_**END CHAPTER FIVE**_


	7. Chapter 6: A Day Out

**A/N: **This is the last chapter for Part 1, of the Next Life Collection. I already got started on the next one, which so far is a bit more cheery than this one. But either way, for the seventh time; thank you J.K. Rowling for this creation, and for anything else you might create, that most likely I will read..**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER SIX: A DAY OUT**

* * *

_He contemplated the flames that swirled around the colorfully colored embers in the fireplace. He thought about time and wondered how it could slow down so much. He had looked up at the clock sitting on the mantle piece over and over again, but still no news, it had been five hours already. How long would it take? he had been sitting there, he had stood up a couple of times, and sat back down; unable to sit still for more than ten minutes at the time. And now he found himself standing again, waiting, but still no news, and the more he waited, the more impatient he became, the more irritated.. _

'_what's taking so long?' he thought as he stirred uncomfortably in the spot he stood. _

_Harry was becoming a father, a feeling strange to himself, never having properly known his own father. But Sirius had been there, the short time that he was, he had been more to him than he could ever imagine before that moment. Lupin also and his own father-in-law; Arthur, had been a father to Harry. But still the news had hit him like a ton of bricks in the back of his chest, but somehow, these bricks had quickly settled, and become a caressing overwhelming feeling, that had settled in the depth of his heart, the day Ginny told him they were going to be parents. _

_But now months had passed, and he stood… waiting, almost sulking in his own annoyance of having to wait so much long, when the last nine months had been enough wait. He tossed the empty glass he held into the flames, and the small eruption it caused as it hit the fire; woke him from his trance. Sighing he removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, he would have to settle down. _

"_Breath" he told himself. He tilted his head back and closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. "Damn" he couldn't take it. "How much longer?" he spoke out as he opened his eyes and turned around from his spot next to the fireplace placing. He took a step forward and placed his glasses back on his face, the expression in his face like that of a man on the verge of a panic attack._

"_Harry?" Mr. Weasley turned to look at the young man in front of him, "are you alright son?"_

_Being the only other man so close to him, that was a father; the first person Harry had called after calling St. Mungo's. Was his father-in-law, Arthur Weasley, Mr. Weasley had done the arduous job, of giving the news to the rest of the family and closest friends. Now the man stood a couple of feet away from the father to be, a look on his face he remembered having when Charlie had been born. _

"_I would be, if they could bloody tell us something. Five hours, Arthur, five hours and they are still in there, how long could it take?" he said taking a step forward tempting his feet towards the steps that lead to the second landing of his home._

"_No need to worry, I doubt anything's wrong" Mr. Weasley said walking forward and giving his son-in-law a reassuring pat in the back "remember its two; it always takes longer with two, even with magic." He said looking at his own twin sons, sitting just a couple of feet from him, looking tentatively at their own hands. Harry simply grunted and turned to look at the flames again._

"_What about another drink, Harry?" Bill asked turning from his own trance to listen to his father speak. "Actually, by the looks of it…" he said looking around the room at his brothers, who had the same face Harry wore "everyone needs one, even the girls, you Darling?" he said looking at his wife who was sitting next to Hermione, Luna and Tonks, both Hermione and Fleur holding their own sleeping children._

"_zat iz an idea" she said with a smile. "Some vine vould be nice"_

"_I'll help you Bill" Lupin, who had been watching Harry from across the room added, "a little moving will do these old muscles some good. I believe there's some firewhiskey in the kitchen that I brought last week, if Harry hasn't done with it. Everyone fancy some? Of course a glass of wine for Fleur"_

"_Just water for me, if you would, Remus" Said Hermione, as everyone else agreed to a glass of firewhiskey._

"_A water for Hermione" Lupin said, looking around the room for anymore requests._

_By the time everyone had had their drinks, the door was heard closing form upstairs, everyone in the room expectantly looked towards the steps. Hermione picked a two year old Danny into her arms and stood, Luna stood up and moved to stand next to her husband Neville, Fleur slid forwards in her seat still holding her sleeping five year old. And every single one of the Weasley men stood and turned towards the stairs, in the same expecting manner. _

_For Harry time now moved slower than before, had he even heard the door upstairs? Maybe the anxiety that had built up during the wait had made him imagine so. A look around the room made him realize everyone else was standing too; it hadn't been his mind playing tricks on him. He walked quickly to the stairs and climbed the first couple of steps; he stopped in his tracks when Molly Weasley came down the stairs from the second floor landing, drying her hands on a towel. _

"_How is… how are… is Ginny?" he asked, some of the words getting lost in his mind, and the remainder getting stuck in his now dry throat. Instead he stood in silence until Molly was standing right in front of him, hugging him._

"_Their fine Dear, you can go up now" she said, giving him a tired smile and a kiss on the cheek. She looked at him lovingly and continued her decent to the rest of the family, still waiting in the living room._

_Harry ran up the rest of the steps almost tripping over his own feet, he rushed down the hallway and almost toppled forward in his abrupt halt right outside his bedroom door. This was it, what awaited him behind those two wooden doors would change his life forever; it was the most unknown to him, he thought as he meditated the shinny brass doorknobs. He breathed deeply, grabbed one in each of his hands, and turned them with all the courage he had in him._

_As he walked into the room he had shared with his wife for the last three years of their marriage. His only thoughts were of his own father and mother, about how they would feel at seeing their son become a father himself, he smiled at the thought of their proud faces at being grandparents. Looking up he saw Ginny's disheveled shape in the bed, and to one side the midwife, who was packing up her bag, getting ready to leave._

"_Mr. Potter?" the Midwife said walking up to him, her cloak over her arm, and her bag clutched in both her hands. Releasing one hand from her bag, she extended it to him_

"_Yes?" he said, taking her hand and shaking it._

"_Congratulations, Sir" She said with an almost practiced smile (she probably gave to all the new fathers) which of course he saw hid a hint of controlled excitement at shaking Harry Potter's hand._

"_Yes thank you..umm, Mrs.?" _

"_Agatha Tenderleaf" she said with a smiled, still a little out of his own, he held on to her hand, but noticing her glance towards his forehead for second look, at his famous scar. He cleared his throat, and made himself gain a little more control. She smiled again, let go of his hand and started for the door, but Harry stopper her._

"_Their fine then?"_

"_Perfect sir, a beautiful girl and boy, and Mrs. Potter just needs some rest" She said with a practiced smile ("strangely comforting, good smile, I feel better.")_

_He smiled; a girl and boy, "That's… That's… Wow, thank you… Oh wait." he said reaching into his pocket "Here, something for your time" he said retrieving his money bag from the inside pocket of his robes._

"_It's alright sir, it was my pleasure" she said _

"_No honestly, here" he said putting a little too much gold into her hands, and backing away enough so she couldn't put it back in his hands. This, he discovered was a good method, none he had done this to had ever chased him around the room, waving the money, trying to return it._

"_Thank you sir, I'll make sure to donate it to 'Orphans of the war' in your family's name" she said putting the money away. Not exactly what he had in mind, but he was amazed at her generosity, maybe there was more to her smile, he thought as he watched her walk out the room, closing the door behind her._

_Once he had turned his attention back to his wife, two steps were all he took towards the bed before he was again rooted to the floor. He passed a nervous hand through his hair making it messier. He breathed in deeply and tried to move, but he couldn't._

"_Bloody..." he said under his breath._

"_Such language, Mr. Potter, and in front of the children" he heard Ginny's over-tired voice from the bed, he looked up immediately_

"_You're awake, love?" he said still not moving from his now preferred safe spot._

"_I am, and you can come closer, no need to be scared." She said with a hint of a giggle under her words._

"_I'm- I'm not" he stuttered taking the rest of the steps necessary to be standing in front of his wife. To him she looked as beautiful as ever, she thought she looked a mess._

"_So?" she said a tired beautiful smile working in her lips._

"_I" he said taking another step._

"_Yes you" she said a glint in her eyes "what do you think then?" she said looking to the basinet next to the bed, Harry followed her eyes to the basket and his eyes landed on the two small bundles resting nestled next to each other._

_A smile broke over his lips as he turned and slipped a hand in the basket lightly touching the cheek of one of the babies. _

"_James" he said, with a smile "James Potter" _

"_How about…. James Sirius Potter" Ginny said, Harry smiled, and then he moved his hand and touched another little cheek, his little girl._

"_That's Amy" Ginny said, a tear in her, looking at her husbands expression._

"_Amy" He said smiling, "Amy Elizabeth Potter" he said, as his little girl snuggled closer to her brother._

_He turned to look at his wife, his eyes red, and tears working their way down his cheeks. A wide smile on his lips, and a look of total love in his glistening green eyes, "Amy and James… Welcome home kids" he said, then he leaned down and gave Ginny a kiss. "Thank you" he whispered to her, "thank you so much."_

* * *

Harry could still remember that day clearly, as if it had happened just the day before. That was the first time his heart felt that extreme, unexplained love for another human being, the feeling of being a father, of unwillingly being made a puppet to his children's love. But it had been fifteen years, and his babies were now fifteen years old. It scared him sometimes; to think that it was in his and Ginny's hands to mold them into the kind of people they would become; but they grew into young people he was proud of. And after coming back from that eventful episode a couple of weeks before, all he could think about was his family. How much he loved them, and what he would willingly, with no hesitation, give up for them, how his life would be nothing if they weren't there.

* * *

It was now almost the end of July, and Harry's birthday was nearing, he knew well enough something was being planned for him. There was always a surprise, and every year, Ronnie let slip the big surprise. This year however, it seemed his older siblings, and cousin _(Who would be staying longer than expected, due to begging to their grandmother on the teens' part)_ had kept Ronnie at bay with the surprise.

Seven years before, Collin Creevy who was then an event coordinator for the Chudley Cannons. Had managed to get a couple of the players to show up at Harry's for a little show of their abilities with an exhibition game, somehow, they were as much, if not more happy to be invited to Harry Potter's birthday than Harry himself to have them there. And by the time they had left, they had given the Potter family, seasonal passes in prime seats, to their games. Harry and his kids had seen more Chudley Cannon games, than any other person that year. There was really no excuse not to go, and they even had passes to their training sessions since then. That's were Harry had met Dylan.

Dylan had earned Harry's complete trust some years back. During a training session were the twins were flying with the Chudley cannons as a special treat from Dylan. Lucius Malfoy and some of the remaining Death Eaters had attacked, knowing somehow, that Harry would be there with his children. Dylan had put himself in-between Harry's children and a Death Eater's curse, before Harry could make it down from the seats to fight. Dylan had spent two weeks in St. Mungo's, and had not been able to play, for almost a month after that.

Today however, more than five years from the time of the event; Harry was waiting for his children to get ready; they were going to go to a Quidditch match today, Chudley Cannon's vs. Puddlemere United. And like always, being on time was not a choice when it came to the Potter family. But Ginny had woken them up an hour earlier, and charmed all the clocks in the house which now read ten thirty instead of ten, the game was to start at twelve thirty, and they would have to leave soon if they wanted to make it through the crowds, into their seats.

"I can't find my cloak" James was shouting from upstairs hallway.

"It's in the closet" Ginny yelled from the base of the stairs, were she was fastening Ronnie's cloak tightly.

"I can do it myself mum, let me" he complained as he pulled away from his mother, and continued to fix his cloak on.

"Fine, you can do it, since you're grown now" she said walking away, "these kids, hopefully he'll want to do his own cleaning and cooking soon" she said a wishful look on her face, loud enough for Ronnie to hear, making him rethink his decision of not letting his mother help him. That would never happen. She walked to Harry and wrapped her arms around him.

"Don't worry, it's only what time, nine thirty, ten?" he said with a smile as he read the clock on the living room wall which now read ten forty five. Ginny smiled, "I know your tricks" he whispered in her ear and gave her a small kiss, which was immediately interrupted.

"I can't find it mum" James said standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Did you look in the closet, James?" she said almost a little too irritated, she knew all to well he hadn't.

"I……..No I didn't" he said running back upstairs, stopping half way as his sister was holding his cloak in her hands for him.

"It was in your closet." She said handing it to him and continuing her way down.

"How was I supposed to know?" he said under his breath as he followed Amy down the stairs.

"It's always there" Amy said loud enough for her brother to hear. "It's always in the closet, mum always puts it there, in the same spot" she said to Danny who had been sitting in a seat on the kitchen table, he had been the first one to be fully dressed and ready to leave.

"I don't even know why everyone's in such a hurry" Amy said to her cousin as she sat down next to him "It's only like ten, only James and Ronnie haven't caught on to mum's tricks, you would think they would be used to it by now" she said smirking at her brother, who was now arguing with their mother about his choice of hair style.

"It's the style mum" James complained as, his mother took out her wand and flattened his hair neatly. James had purposefully made his hair stand up in wild strands all over his head. "Why did you do that? I spend like twenty minutes fixing it."

"So that's why it took you so long to come down, making your hair look mad, not even your father's hair looked like that when I met him, and that's saying something."

"Dad" he whined to his father, Harry was holding in a smirk.

"Ginny let the boy wear his hair the way he likes, he's old enough to look inane if he wants to" he said. Everyone laughed, except for James and Ginny.

"Thanks a lot, dad" He said trying to stand his hair back up, but no matter what, every hand strand fell neatly back into place, the spell Ginny had cast, would not budge, not for a while.

"No time to fix it now, come on you lot, lets get going then" Harry said fixing his own cloak around his neck, and walking to the fireplace Ginny at his side fixing on her own cloak.

"You first, Danny" Ginny said holding up the clear blue jar with the floo powder.

They would be traveling by floo to Hogsmeade were they would meet up with Dylan and Tomas, from there they would all get a portkey to the Quidditch pitch.

"_HOGSMEADE_" Danny said loud and clear, he was engulfed in the emerald green flames as he disappeared.

One by one they were all transported to the Hog's Head pub, were they would walk to the outskirts of town to the portkey post, set up to transport everyone to the game. This was the most usual way to transport families with underage wizards to the games. Those who could apparate would just do so to a designated area close to the Quidditch pitch.

"I hate traveling by floo" Amy said as she wiped the ashes from her cloak and robes. "Mum could you?" she said pointing at her robes.

"No problem dear" Ginny said raising her wand, _"scourgify" _she said,making all the ash disappear from Amy's robes and cloak. The Boys didn't seem to mind the ash as much as Amy did, but Ginny cleaned their robes none the less.

Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand behind the kids. Ronnie was bothering James, while Danny and Amy talked about the match ahead.

"How much longer?" James asked looking back at his parents

"James we've barely walked ten minutes"

"It will feel like an hour to you too, if you had Ronnie attached to you like a leach." He frowned "I prefer a leach" he murmured under his breath.

After a couple of minutes they arrived at the edge of the village, were the portkey post had been set up for the day.

"Dylan!" Harry said calling to his friend, who was already there waiting for them.

"Harry" he said as the men shook hands and briefly hugged.

"Ginny" he said turning to Ginny and giving her a swift kiss on the cheek

"Hello, Dylan?" she said to the man, "and Tomas?" she said looking around for Tomas who was greeting all the Potter kids

"Mrs. Potter" said Tomas turning away from the kids "how are you?" he said with a smile.

"Very well, dear, I see you're doing as, if not better than me." She said with a smile.

"My boy is always doing well; he's got his mother's spirit, never unhappy this one."

"Tomas" Harry said looking at the youth in front of him, Tomas did not differ that much in looks from his father; they both had blond hair, hazel eyes. And even though Dylan's skin was weathered from his years as a chaser, his face showed a sort of brightness that his son wore as well. Their slim thin muscular frame was built for speed and agility, perfect for a chaser, and it seemed Tomas was following in his father's footsteps. He had been admitted into the reserve of Puddlemere United, he would be joining them after he graduated from school the following year.

"Hi, Harry" Tomas said with a smile, looking to Harry

"Ready for the match?"

"I'm always ready for a good Quidditch match"

"He'll make an excellent chaser, has the spirit and the talent, like his father" Harry said patting the young man on the back, "and wearing his colors already I see" Harry said looking at Tomas' attire, the navy blue robes with Puddlemere United's emblem on the chest.

"Likes giving me a hard time" Dylan said looking at his son.

"Never dad, I just thought I'd wear winning colors for a change" he said laughing out at the look of surprise in his father's face.

"Boy has my sense of humor" Dylan said looking at Harry "and here are the Potter children and a Weasley. How are you kids?"

After the kids said hello to Dylan, they all got on their way; their portkey was due to leave at precisely eleven sixteen. They all talked for a while, the match, was of course the dominant topic. Danny and Tomas, of course being accepted to join Puddlemere's reserve team, were not supporting their team, and James who had always been a fan, was also excitedly talking about Puddlemere's possibilities.

"Almost time now" Ginny said rounding up the kids, which had somehow scattered around the area.

"Ronnie leave that" Ginny told her son, who had filled his pockets with rocks. She pointed her wand at his pocket, and very pebble flew out.

"Mum" he complained upset "I wanted those"

"For what? what can you possibly want with two pockets full of rocks?"

"Nothing" he said looking down at his shoes, Ginny looked suspiciously at her son, but before she could say anything, Harry was holding her by the hand, and leading her and Ronnie to the portkey booth.

"Eleven sixteen, Potter and Markarov, party of eight" he said to the bored looking elderly wizard standing behind a makeshift wooden booth, with color coded boxes scattered around him, filled with random items.

"Potter, you say?" the wizard said looking up at Harry's forehead, waking from his sleepy trance.

"Yes, eleven sixteen, Potter _and_ Markarov"

"Got a receipt?" the wizard finally said looking away from Harry's forehead, with a somehow disappointed look, at being made to look away from Harry Potter, Harry pulled a small piece of green parchment out of his pocket and handed it to the old wizard.

The wizard took a long good look at it, before looking back up at Harry's scar, then back at the receipt, then again at Harry.

Harry cleared his throat, breaking the man's looped trance.

"Everything seems to be in order Mr. Potter, so one portkey for eight coming up then" he said as he pulled out his wand and lazily pointed it at the nearest box filled with muggle sporting goods, a deflated rugby ball flew out into his outstretched hand. He waved his wand at it and it glowed blue "Here you go sir" he said handing Harry the deflated ball, and a red colored receipt. "Have a good day then" he said, as they moved away to let through, three young wizards who had just arrived to pick up their portkey.

"Vance!!... Hey, Waywater" Tomas screamed at one of the young wizards, a stocky black haired boy, with grey eyes; whom they knew from Hogwarts as a Gryffindor.

Vance having just graduated from Hogwarts had gotten a rather good job at the ministry, as good as jobs went for entry level positions. This was due to the fact that his grandmother; Regina Waywater, held a rather high position in the wizengamot.

"Hey, going to the match too?" Vance said loudly waving at them, then turning he tapped the boy behind him on the shoulder; a tall strong bodied young wizards with curly brown hair, and dark black eyes, who they knew as Gill Dinet, from Hufflepuff. Gill turned, and seeing Danny and Tomas, smiled and waved.

"Hey guys" Gill said

The third one, who they remember as being Gill's older brother Amos, had handed the old wizard at the booth his receipt for the portkey. The old man was now looking at it, and then he looked up at Amos suspiciously, then back at the receipt.

Now they all seemed mesmerized by the scene unraveling before them. Danny, Tomas, Gill, Vance and even James who had walked back when he noticed his cousin had stopped, were now all looking at Amos and the old wizard. After two minutes, in which the old man looked at Amos suspiciously, then at the receipt with the same mistrust; Amos had started to argue with him from irritation, he seemed to be holding in most of his infuriation.

"Come on Doris, were going to be late…" All the boys heard Amos say to the old Wizard at the booth, "…We paid for the portkey, and you know our mother from the ministry, don't you? Were not going to go through all the trouble when were all old enough to apparate, but it cost the same doesn't it" He said when he saw the old man open his mouth to question him about the comment he had just made. "Don't even ask why were not apparating, these two don't have enough experience for the distance"

"Dunno, looks kind of blurry" He said rubbing the ticket with his thumb "And you seem to be in an awful hurry"

"Hurry? Look at the time" He said pointing at his hand piece. "its already eleven fourteen, just give me the portkey, paid good money for it, not going to make me send a letter of complaint to the ministry about this, are you?"

The old man's eyes widened, he grunted something under his breath, about "brats" the rest couldn't hear, then pointed his wand at a box with small rocks, so small that the three of them would hardly be able to touch it.

"Hurry up you two" Ginny said from were the rest were congregated around the rugby ball a couple of feet away from them.

"See you there" Danny said as he pulled Tomas by the arm to catch up to the others who were already standing around the rugby ball, James had gone ahead and was already standing by his sister, by the times Danny and Tomas reached them, the moment they took hold of it; they all disappeared with a crack.

* * *

"I don't like portkeys" Amy said dusting of her robes,

Amy had hoped to land as gracefully as the adults, but instead she landed flat on her back, James landed on her loudly, and Danny had almost made it, he had landed on his feet with a thud, and toppled backwards before the happiness of not landing on his back could form a smile on his face.

Ronnie had been _some what_ more lucky than the rest. He had been holding his mother's hand when they took hold of the portkey. And when Ginny landed gracefully on her feet next to Harry and Dylan, his legs had given underneath him, and he was left hanging from Ginny's hand like a rag doll.

"I don't like it either, it makes my arm hurt." Ronnie said rubbing the arm Ginny had been holding.

"You'll get better with practice" Ginny assured him dusting some dirt from his robes.

"I don't think I'll want to practice" He said frowning.

After the kids got on their feet, still not completely over the landing; they were all on their way. Halfway to the pitch, Vance, Gill and his brother Amos; caught up with them. And Dylan invited them to sit in the box with them. This was great news for the boys, whose seats were 'nose bleeds' according to Gill.

"Can you believe; twelve galleons a piece, and it's the best we get." Vance said with a smile as they were let into the box Dylan co-owned with a wizard official, from the ministry.

The pitch they were in; was the Chuddley Cannons' home pitch, and Dylan who had only been retired for a couple of years now; was somewhat sad to not be in his own broom, flying around the pitch with the other players.

"That Doris Boot's a menace, does the same thing every time, wasn't that bad this time" Amos was saying to the group, as they worked their way up to the box.

"They've sacked him like five times, right dad?" Tomas asked his dad, who was now showing a ticket to a wizard at the entrance to the box.

"Too many complaints, but his nephew keeps on helping him get his job back. Good man that Maximilian Boot. But couldn't get his uncle a better job, not even being head of the Department of transportation; too many bad points on old Doris' records" Dylan said.

"I heard he stuck his tong out at the minister, and then threw a bucket of green slime at him." Ronnie said, trying to join the conversation.

"Were did you hear that?" Danny asked with a laugh.

"I hear things" Ronnie said offended.

"Were, at home?" James asked laughing, making Ronnie frown.

They entered the box, and took their seats, Harry and the rest of the adults allowed the kids to take the front row, Amos sat in the second row next to Dylan, and in the last row, sat a young man with a girl, both in their twenties.

"Lester" Dylan said turning around and shaking the young man's hand "how's your father?"

"He's dong well Mr. Markarov. Oh, sorry, this is Sissy, my fiancée" he said introducing the girl next to him, Lester was the son of Lester Henderson Sr. The official with whom Dylan shared ownership of the box. Amos ended up sitting in the third row with Lester and Sissy, being of about the same age, they had plenty to talk about, one of which was that Sissy had graduated Hogwarts with Amos, a few years back.

The match started, and soon enough the Chuddley Cannons were sixty points ahead. Amos and Lester, who were both Chuddley Cannon fans, were soon booing, and bothering Sissy, who was a Puddlemere United fan. Ginny who was not really a fan of any particular team, was following Puddlemere, just to go against her husband's team.

The rest of the day was full of excitement, booing, and applauding. And when Tomas had screamed in protest as one of the Chuddley Cannon beaters caught the keeper of Puddlemere unaware and threw him to the ground. Dylan made a bet that the Cannon's would win, and if they lost (they were 100 points ahead) he would buy everyone a couple of rounds of butterbeers.

* * *

Two hours later, everyone sat around a table at the three broom sticks, a sullen yet happy look in Dylan's face as he paid for the second round of butterbeers.

"Told you he would get the snitch, that Klintgrass is an amazing seeker." Tomas said, gloating at his dad as he drank to Puddlemere United's victory

"Luck if you ask me" Dylan said. "Snitch sat by his ear for nearly a minute before he noticed it, if Dimersin hadn't been knocked off his broom by that bludgger Donahue sent him a second before, he would have caught it no trouble, right from under Grassie's big head."

"Would of, could of, dad, too late now. Big headed seeker and all, we won the game" he said laughing

"Here, here" James and Danny said,

Dylan leaned into Harry who was sitting next to him, listening with a smile on his face. Harry leaned closer and Dylan whispered in his ear "gets that from his mother too, sour winner if there's such a thing" Harry laughed and patted Dylan on the back.

After two rounds of butterbeers, a joke in which Puddlemere United's big headed Seeker was the subject and an incident involving James convincing Ronnie to mix a package of an unknown powder into his drink -Ginny wasn't amused when the butterbeer exploded everywhere- they were all on their way home.

Harry sat at the edge of Ronnie's bed, he looked down at his small boy as he rhythmically breathed in and out. It had been many years and Harry through out it all had seen the shadows, he had seen the horrors and had come out the other end alive. Now he understood it, he knew the reasons why he had lived on, this was it. His children, his wife, his friends. He had a live, and he would live it, he would live and honor those who where willing to die to make sure he lived.

* * *

_**END CHAPTER SIX: END OF PART I**_

_** THANK YOU FOR READING**_


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